.\\\EUNIVER% 

ilsKJ  I 

g  —.-KA  £ 


tz      < 


I 


JRARYO^ 

tc     «-3 


m\w& 


NIVERJ//J 


I 


5 

* 


TREATISE 


ON   SOME   OF   THE 


INSECTS  INJURIOUS  TO  YEGETATION. 


BY 


THADDEUS  WILLIAM  HAERIS,  M,  D. 


THIRD    EDITION. 


BOSTON: 
WILLIAM  WHITE,  PRINTER  TO   THE   STATE. 

1862. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1862,  by 

CATHARINE    H.     HARRIS, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


CAMBRIDGE  : 

WELCH,   BIOKLOW,   AND   COMPANY, 
PRINTERS  TO  THE  UNIVERSITY. 


Stack 


5 


EDITOR'S   PREFACE. 


BY  a  resolve  of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature,  of  1859,  chap. 
93,  I  was  directed  to  issue  a  new  edition  of  Dr.  Harris's 
admirable  Report  on  Insects  Injurious  to  Vegetation,  with  suitable 
additions  and  illustrations. 

Arrangements  were  made  to  begin  the  work  without  delay,  but 
it  was  found  necessary  to  obtain  extensive  collections  of  insects  in 
order  to  have  fresh  specimens  for  use  in  making  the  drawings. 
This  required  much  time  and  labor,  and,  even  with  the  utmost 
diligence,  it  was  found  impossible  to  secure  all  that  were  needed 
during  the  spring  and  summer  of  1859. 

It  has  been  thought  best  to  insert  the  additions  contemplated  in 
the  resolve,  in  the  form  of  foot-notes.  No  alterations  have  been 
made  in  the  author's  language,  and  the  additional  notes  are  en- 
closed in  brackets  to  distinguish  them  from  those  in  the  former 
editions.  Large  additions  to  the  text,  however,  have  been  made 
from  the  author's  own  manuscripts.  These  will  be  found  exclu- 
sively in  the  chapter  upon  the  butterflies.  In  giving  a  somewhat 
wider  significance  to  the  title,  I  have  but  carried  out  the  plan 
adopted  by  the  author  in  his  last  revision  of  the  work. 

Professor  Louis  Agassiz  very  kindly  offered  to  supervise  the 
drawings,  comparing  them  with  the  original  specimens  before  en- 
graving. It  is  believed  that  very  great  scientific  accuracy  has 
thus  been  secured  in  the  illustrations.  Special  acknowledgments 
are  due  to  Professor  Agassiz  for  this  valuable  service,  and  also  for 
assistance  rendered  by  way  of  suggestion  and  advice  throughout. 

Acknowledgments  are  also  due  to  the  following  gentlemen,  who 
have  contributed  notes  on  the  subjects  named :  —  Dr.  John  L. 


iv  EDITOR'S    PREFACE. 

Leconte,  of  Philadelphia,  on  the  Coleoptera;  Philip  R.  Uhler, 
Esq.,  of  Baltimore,  on  the  Orthoptera  and  Hemiptera ;  Dr.  John 
G.  Morris,  of  Baltimore,  on  the  Lepidoptera  ;  Edward  Norton, 
Esq.,  of  Farmington,  Connecticut,  on  the  Hymenoptera ;  and  Baron 
R.  Osten  Sacken,  Secretary  of  the  Russian  Legation  at  Washing- 
ton, on  the  Diptera,  These  distinguished  entomologists  have  made 
specialties  of  the  orders  on  which  they  have  had  the  kindness  to 
furnish  notes,  and  their  contributions  have  done  much  to  make 
the  work  complete.  I  am  greatly  indebted,  also,  to  Mr.  Alex.  E. 
R.  Agassiz  for  very  valuable  services,  and  to  Mr.  Francis  G.  San- 
born,  whose  enthusiasm  in  making  collections,  and  otherwise  pro- 
moting the  progress  of  the  work,  has  continued  unabated  from  the 
first.  Also  to  Messrs.  James  M.  Barnard  and  Edward  S.  Rand, 
Jr.,  who  have  devoted  much  time  and  thought  to  the  details  of 
the  work. 

Many  individuals  have  aided  by  presenting  or  lending  speci- 
mens for  illustration,  or  otherwise,  among  whom  should  be  men- 
tioned, in  addition  to  the  above,  Messrs.  S.  H.  Scudder,  J.  H. 
Treat,  and  J.  O.  Treat.  To  prevent  any  misconception,  it  should 
be  stated  that,  in  the  specimens  from  which  Figs.  109,  111,  112, 
113,  115,  116,  117,  126,  127,  128,  129,  and  130  were  drawn,  the 
second  pair  of  feet  were  displayed  instead  of  the  first,  and  that 
in  Fig.  114  the  fore  foot  should  have  been  omitted. 

The  drawings  for  the  steel  plates  were  made  by  Mr.  Antoine 
Sonrel ;  those  for  the  wood-cuts  by  the  Messrs.  Sonrel  and  J. 
Burckhardt.  The  engraving  and  coloring  of  the  steel  plates  is  the 
work  of  Mr.  John  H.  Richard ;  the  engraving  on  wood,  that  of 
Mr.  Henry  Marsh.  The  work  of  these  artists  needs  no  comment. 
The  printing  has  been  done  by  Messrs.  Welch,  Bigelow,  &  Co.,  of 
the  University  Press,  Cambridge.  This  also  speaks  for  itself. 

No  labor  has  been  spared  to  secure  the  utmost  accuracy  and 
perfection  in  every  respect,  and  it  is  hoped  and  believed  that  the 
objects  of  the  Legislature  in  ordering  a  new  edition  of  this  valu- 
able treatise  have  been  fully  accomplished. 

CHARLES  L.  FLINT, 

Secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 
BOSTON,  December,  1861. 


AUTHOR'S    PREFACE. 


THE  first  edition  of  this  work  was  printed  in  the  year  1841. 
It  formed  one  of  the  scientific  Reports,  which  were  pre- 
pared and  published  by  the  Commissioners  on  the  Zoological  and 
Botanical  Survey  of  Massachusetts,  agreeably  to  an  order  of  the 
General  Court,  and  at  the  expense  of  the  State.  The  Commis- 
sion for  this  Survey  bore  the  date  of  June  10th,  1837  ;  and  the 
following  instructions  from  his  Excellency,  Governor  Everett,  ac- 
companied it :  — 

"  It  is  presumed  to  have  been  a  leading  object  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, in  authorizing  this  Survey,  to  promote  the  agricultural  benefit 
of  the  Commonwealth,  and  you  will  keep  carefully  in  view  the 
economical  relations  of  every  subject  of  your  inquiry.  By  this, 
however,  it  is  not  intended  that  scientific  order,  method,  or  com- 
prehension should  be  departed  from.  At  the  same  time,  that 
which  is  practically  useful  will  receive  a  proportionally  greater 
share  of  attention,  than  that  which  is  merely  curious  ;  the  promo- 
tion of  comfort  and  happiness  being  the  great  human  end  of  all 
science." 

Upon  a  division  of  duties  among  the  Commissioners,  the  depart- 
ment of  Insects  was  assigned  to  me.  Some  idea  of  the  extent 
of  this  department  may  be  formed  by  an  examination  of  my  Cata- 
logues of  the  Insects  of  Massachusetts,  appended  to  the  first  and 
second  editions  of  Professor  Hitchcock's  Report,  in  which  above 
2,300  species  were  enumerated ;  and  these  doubtless  fall  very  far 
short  of  the  actual  number  to  be  found  within  this  Commonwealth. 


vi  AUTHOR'S    PREFACE. 

In  entering  upon  my  duty,  I  was  deterred  from  attempting  to 
describe  all  these  insects  by  the  magnitude  of  the  undertaking, 
and  by  the  consideration  that  such  a  work,  much  as  it  might  pro- 
mote the  cause  of  science,  if  well  done,  could  not  be  expected  to 
prove  either  interesting  or  particularly  useful  to  the  great  body  of 
the  people.  The  subject  and  the  plan  of  my  Report  were  sug- 
gested by  the  instructions  of  the  Governor,  and  by  the  want  of  a 
work,  combining  scientific  and  practical  details  on  the  natural  his- 
tory of  our  noxious  insects.  From  among  such  of  the  latter  as 
are  injurious  to  plants,  I  selected  for  description  chiefly  those  that 
were  remarkable  for  their  size,  for  the  peculiarity  of  their  struc- 
ture and  habits,  or  for  the  extent  of  their  ravages  ;  and  these 
alone  will  be  seen  to  constitute  a  formidable  host.  As  they  are 
found  not  only  in  Massachusetts,  but  throughout  New  England,  and 
indeed  in  most  parts  of  the  United  States,  the  propriety  of  giving 
to  the  work  a  more  comprehensive  title  than  it  first  bore,  becomes 
apparent.  This  was  accordingly  done  in  the  small  impression 
that  was  printed  at  my  own  charge,  while  the  original  Report  was 
passing  through  the  press,  and  in  which  some  other  alterations 
were  made  to  fit  it  for  a  wider  circulation. 

In  the  course  of  eight  years,  all  the  copies  of  the  Report,  and 
of  the  other  impression,  were  entirely  disposed  of.  Meanwhile, 
some  materials  for  a  new  edition  were  collected,  and  these  have 
been  embodied  in  the  present  work,  which  I  have  been  called 
upon  to  prepare  and  carry  through  the  press. 

Believing  that  the  aid  of  science  tends  greatly  to  improve  the 
condition  of  any  people  engaged  in  agriculture  and  horticulture, 
and  that  these  pursuits  form  the  basis  of  our  prosperity,  and  are 
the  safeguards  of  our  liberty  and  independence,  I  have  felt  it  to  be 
my  duty,  in  treating  the  subject  assigned  to  me,  to  endeavor  to 
make  it  useful  and  acceptable  to  those  persons  whose  honorable 
employment  is  the  cultivation  of  the  soil. 

T.  W.  H. 

CAMBRIDGE,  Mass.,  Oct.  15, 1852. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I.. 

INTRODUCTION. 

INSECTS  DEFINED.  —  BRAIN  AND  NERVES.  —  AIR-PIPES  AND  BREATH- 
ING-HOLES. —  HEART  AND  BLOOD.  —  INSECTS  ARE  PRODUCED  FROM 
EGGS.  —  METAMORPHOSES,  OR  TRANSFORMATIONS.  —  EXAMPLES  OF 
COMPLETE  TRANSFORMATION.  —  PARTIAL  TRANSFORMATION.  —  LAR- 
VA, OR  INFANT  STATE.  —  PUPA,  OR  INTERMEDIATE  STATE. — ADULT, 
OR  WINGED  STATE.  —  HEAD,  EYES,  ANTENNA,  AND  MOUTH. —  THO- 
RAX OR  CHEST,  WINGS,  AND  LEGS.  —  ABDOMEN  OR  HIND-BODY, 
PIERCER,  AND  STING. — NUMBER  OF  INSECTS  COMPARED  WITH  PLANTS. 
—  CLASSIFICATION;  ORDERS;  COLEOPTERA;  ORTHOPTERA;  HEMIPTE- 
RA;  NEUROPTERA;  LEPIDOPTERA;  HYMENOPTERA;  DIPTERA;  OTHER 
ORDERS  AND  GROUPS.  —  REMARKS  ON  SCIENTIFIC  NAMES.  .  .  1-22 


CHAPTER    II. 

COLEOPTERA. 

BEETLES.  —  SCARAB^EIANS.  —  GROUND-BEETLES.  —  TREE-BEETLES.  — 
COCKCHAFERS  OR  MAY-BEETLES.  —  FLOWER-BEETLES.  —  STAG-BEE- 
TLES. —  BUPRESTIANS,  OR  SAW-HORNED  BORERS.  —  SPRING-BEETLES. 

TIMBER-BEETLES.  —  WEEVILS.  —  CYLINDRICAL  BARK-BEETLES.  — 
CAPRICORN-BEETLES,  OR  LONG-HORNED  BORERS.  —  LEAF-BEETLES.  — 
CRIOCERIANS.  —  LEAF-MINING  BEETLES.  —  TORTOISE-BEETLES.  — 
CHRYSOMELIANS.  —  CANTHARIDES.  23-140 


CHAPTER    III. 

ORTHOPTERA. 

EARWIGS.  —  COCKROACHES.  —  MANTES,  OR  SOOTHSAYERS.  —  WALKING- 
LEAVES.  —  WALKING-STICKS,  OR  SPECTRES.  —  MOLE-CRICKET.  — 
FIELD  CRICKETS.  —  CLIMBING  CRICKET.  —  WINGLESS  CRICKET.  — 
GRASSHOPPERS.  —  KATY-DID.  —  LOCUSTS.  .....  141-191 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    IV. 

HEMIPTERA. 

BUGS.  —  SQUASH-BUG.  —  CHINCH-BUG.  —  PLANT-BUGS.  —  HARVEST-FLIES. 

—  TREE-HOPPERS.  —  LEAF-HOPPERS.  —  VINE-HOPPER.  —  BEAN-HOP- 
PER. —  THRIPS.  —  PLANT-LICE.  —  AMERICAN  BLIGHT.  —  ENEMIES  OP 
PLAHT-LICE.  —  BARK-LICE 192-256 

CHAPTER    V. 

LEPIDOPTERA. 

CATERPILLARS.  —  BUTTERFLIES.  —  SKIPPERS.  —  HAWK-MOTHS.  —  J£GERI- 
ANS  OR  BORING-CATERPILLARS.  —  GLAUCOPIDIANS.  —  MOTHS.  —  SPIN- 
NERS. —  LlTHOSIANS.  —  TlGER-MOTHS.  —  ERMINE-MOTHS.  —  TUSSOCK- 

MOTHS.  —  LACKEY-MOTHS.  —  LAPPET-MOTHS.  —  SATURNIANS. —  CERA- 
TOCAMPIANS.  —  CARPENTER-MOTHS.  —  PSYCHIANS.  —  NOTODONTIANS.  — 
OWL-MOTHS.  —  Cur- WORMS.  —  GEOMETERS,  OR  SPAN- WORMS,  AJTD 
CANKER-WORMS.  —  DELTA-MOTHS.  —  LEAF-ROLLERS  —  BUD-MOTHS.  — 
FRUIT-MOTHS.  —  BEE-MOTHS.  —  CORN-MOTHS.  —  CLOTHES-MOTHS.  — 
FEATHER-WINGED  MOTHS.  257-511 

CHAPTER    VI. 

HYMENOPTERA. 

STINGERS  AND  PIERCERS.  —  HABITS  OF  SOME  OF  THE  HYMENOPTERA. 

—  SAW-FLIES  AND  SLUGS.  —  ELM  SAW-FLY.  —  FIR  SAW-FLY.  —  VINE 
SAW-FLY.  —  ROSE-BUSH    SLUG.  —  PEAR-TREE    SLUG.  —  HORN-TAILED 
WOOD- WASPS.  —  GALL-FLIES.  —  CHALCIDIANS.  —  BARLEY  INSECT  AND 
JOINT- WORM .        .512-561 

CHAPTER    VII. 

DIPTERA. 

GNATS  AND  FLIES.  —  MAGGOTS,  AND  THEIR  TRANSFORMATIONS.  —  GALL- 
GNATS.  —  HESSIAN  FLY.  —  WHEAT-FLY.  —  REMARKS  UPON  AND  DE- 
SCRIPTIONS OF  SOME  OTHER  DIPTEROUS  INSECTS.  —  RADISH-FLY.  — 

TWO-WINGED  GALL-FLIES,  AND  FRUIT-FLIES.  —  CONCLUSION.       .    562-626 


APPENDIX.  —  THE  ARMY- WORM 627-630 

INDEX  .    631-640 


EXPLANATION    OF    PLATES 


Fig. 


Fig. 


PLATE     I  .      (FRONTISPIECE.) 

Page 

1. 

Nepa  apiculata   

12 

2. 

Agrion  basalis          .        .•      .-      ..      '.    '    .        .. 

12 

3. 

Mutilla  coccinea          

.       15 

4. 

Asilus  (Erax)  aestuans,  Linn  

17 

5. 

Cassida  (Coptocycla)  aurichalcea,  Fab.     .        . 

.     122 

6. 

Locusta  (CEdipoda)  sulphurea,  Fab  

177 

7. 

Nymphalis  Arthemis,  Drur.        .        .       v       .        .        .     '   . 

.     283 

PLATE   II.    (PAGE  23.) 

1. 

Eumolpus  auratus,  Fab  

134 

2. 

Chrysobothris  (Trachypteris)  Harrisii,  Hentz    .        . 

.       51 

3. 

Galenica  vittata,  Fab.     .        

124 

4. 

Coccinella  novemnotata      

.     246 

5. 

Haltica  chalybea,  HUg.    .        

129 

6. 

Attelabus  bipustulatus,  Fab  

.       66 

7. 

Dicerca  (Stenurus)  divaricata,  Say         .        .        .        .    _'.•'" 

48 

8. 

Sitophilus  Oryzse,  Linn  

,       83 

9. 

Chrysomela  trimaculata,  Fab.         .        .        ... 

132 

10. 

Clytus  flexuosus,  Fab.         .        .•       

.     103 

11. 

Callidium  antennatum,  Newm  

100 

12. 

Hylotrupes  bajulus,  Linn.  .     •  .        .        . 

.     100 

13. 

Saperda  (Compsidea)  tridentata,  Oliv  

111 

14. 

Omaloplia  (Serica)  vespertina,  GyU.  

.       33 

15. 

Clytus  speciosus,  Say      

101 

16. 

Saperda  Candida,  Fab  

.     107 

17. 

"            "                 Larva  .        .        .        .        .        . 

108 

18. 

Desmocerus  cyaneus,  Fab.          .        .       •. 

.     115 

19. 

Saperda  vestita,  Say       .  .  "  .        

109 

20. 

Areoda  (Cotalpa)  lanigera,  Linn.        .        ,•    •  . 

,       24 

21. 

Saperda  (Anaerea)  calcarata,  Say  

106 

PLATE    III.    (PAGE  141.) 

'Locusta  (Chloealtis)  curtipennis        .        ...        . 

.     184 

2. 

Locusta  (Tragocephala)  viridi-fasciata,  De  Geer  . 

.         182 

Fig. 

2.     Locusta  (Trs 
b 


X  EXPLANATION    OF    PLATES. 

Fig.   8.  Locusta  ((Edipoda)  Carolina,  Linn.            .        .        .        .   •     .        .  176 

••      4.  Aphis  mali 235 

"      6.  Tettigonia  (Erythroneura)  vitis 227 

"     6.  Clastoptera  proteus 225 

••     7.  Cicada  septendecim,  Linn 211 

"     8.  Chrysopa  euryptera,  Burm •                      .  247 

"      9.  "                           Larva  and  cocoon 247 

PLATE    IV.    PAGE  257.) 

Fig.    1.  Vanessa  (Grapta)  comma,  Harr 300 

"     2.  "                                                  Vacant  chrysalis      .        .        .  301 

"     8.  Thecla  Humuli,  Barr 276 

"      4.  Papilio  Asterias,  Fab.  $         .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .  265 

"5.  "             "                    9    .        .        .        . '     • 266 

"      6.  "             "                   Larva 263 

"     7.  "             "                  Chrysalis 264 

PLATE    V.    (PAGE  318.) 

Fig.   1.  Eudamus  (Goniloba)  Tityrus,  Smith .810 

"     2.  Philampelus  Satellitia,  Linn 825 

"      3.  Philampelus  Achemon,  Drury 326 

"      4.  Choerocampa  (Darapsa)  pampinatrix,  SmiOi          ....  327 

"      6.  J£geria  (Trochilium)  Pyri,  Harr 335 

"      6.  "                "              exitiosa,  Say    $ 331 

"     7.  "               "                  "                  Vacant  chrysalis       .        .        .332 

"      8.  u               "             Cucurbitae,  Barr 831 

PLATE    VI.    (PAGE  340.) 

Fig.    1.  Lophocampa  (Halesidota)  Caryae,  Harr.    Larva      ....  861 

"      2.  "                     "                 "                       Cocoon         ...  362 

"     3.  Deiopeia  bella,  Drury 342 

•'     4.  Perophora  Melsheimerii,  Harr.    Larva  Case         ....  415 

"      6.  "                    "                           9            .        .        .        .        .     415,417 

"      6.  Pygsera  (Datana)  ministra,  Drury 430 

"     7.  Eudryas  grata,  Fab.    Larva 427 

'•      8.  "            "                  Imago 427 

"     9.  Arctia  (Spilosoma)  acrea,  Drury    £ 354 

"    10.  "            "                "                       9 854 

"    11.  Notodonta  (Pygsera)  concinna,  Smith 426 

"    12.  Clostera  Americana,  Harr 433 

PLATE    VII.    (PAGE  876.) 

Fig.   1.  Orgyia  leucostigma,  Smith.    Larva  .......  366 

"     2.  "                                          9  after  depositing  eggs    ...  867 

"     3.  "               .....                    .;           ..                       ...  867 

"      4.  "                "                             $       ......                  367,868 

"     6-  "                                         Cocoon  and  eggs 367 


EXPLANATION    OF    PLATES.  XI 

Fig.    6.  Tinea  granella.     Larva 497 

"      7.         "            "          Wheat  attacked  by 497 

"      8.  Pyralis  farinalis,  Harr 475 

"      9.  Gortyna  Zeae,  Harr 439 

"    10.  Hyphantria  (Spilosoma)  textor.     Cocoon 358 

"    11.             "                    "               "          Pupa 358 

"    12.  "  "  "          Young  larva      .        .        .         357, 358 

"    13.  Clisiocampa  Americana,  Harr.   Larva 371 

"14.               "                   "                      $ 372 

"    15.               "                   "                      Vacant  cocoon          ....  372 

"    16.               "                   "                      Cluster  of  eggs      ....  370 

"17.               "                   "                      9 372 

"    18.  Clisiocampa  silvatica,  Harr .                .  376 

"    19.               "                 "                     Larva  .......  375 

PLATE    VIII.    (PAGE  512.) 

Fig.    1.  Tachina  vivida,  Harr 612 

''      2.  Gasterophilus  (Gastrus)  Equi,  Linn 623 

"      3.  Lophyrus  Abietis,  Harr.     $ 520 

"      4.            "              "                         "     antenna 520 

"5.            "              "                        9 520 

*'      6.  Cynips  dichlocerus.    Natural  size 549 

"      7.          "              "                Magnified 549 

"      8.          "              "                Gall  on  Rose-bush 549 

"      9.  Cynips  confluens.     Galls  on  oak-leaf 546 

"10.          "  " 546,  547 

"    11.  Cimbex  Ulmi.     Cocoon 519 

"    12.  Cimbex  Laportei.     $     .........  518 

NOTE.  —  The  hair-line  at  the  side  of  a  cut  shows  its  natural  size. 


INSECTS 
INJURIOUS  TO  VEGETATION. 


CHAPTEK    I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

INSECTS  DEFINED.  —  BRAIN  AND  NEKVES.  —  AIR-PIPES  AND  BREATHING-HOLES. 
—  HEART  AND  BLOOD.  —  INSECTS  ARE  PRODUCED  FROM  EGGS.  —  METAMOR- 
PHOSES, OR  TRANSFORMATIONS. — EXAMPLES  OF  COMPLETE  TRANSFORMA- 
TION. —  PARTIAL  TRANSFORMATION.  —  LARVA,  OR  INFANT  STATE.  —  PUPA, 
OR  INTERMEDIATE  STATE.  —  ADULT,  OR  WINGED  STATE.  —  HEAD,  EYES, 
ANTENNAE,  AND  MOUTH.  —  THORAX  OR  CHEST,  WINGS,  AND  LEGS.  —  ABDO- 
MEN OR  HIND-BODY,  PIERCER,  AND  STING.  —  NUMBER  OF  INSECTS  COMPARED 
WITH  PLANTS.  —  CLASSIFICATION  ;  ORDERS  ;  COLEOPTERA  ;  ORTHOPTERA  ; 
HEMIPTERA;  NEUROPTERA;  LEPIDOPTERA;  HYMENOPTERA;  DIPTERA;  OTHER 
ORDERS  AND  GROUPS.  —  REMARKS  ON  SCIENTIFIC  NAMES. 

THE  benefits  which  we  derive  from  insects,  though 
neither  few  in  number  nor  inconsiderable  in  amount, 
are,  if  we  except  those  of  the  silk-worm,  the  bee,  and  the 
cochineal,  not  very  obvious,  and  are  almost  entirely  beyond 
our  influence.  On  the  contrary,  the  injuries  that  we  suffer 
from  them  are  becoming  yearly  more  apparent,  and  are 
more  or  less  within  our  control.  A  familiar  acquaint- 
ance with  our  insect  enemies  and  friends,  in  all  their  forms 
and  disguises,  will  afford  us  much  help  in  the  discovery 
and  proper  application  of  the  remedies  for  the  depredations 
of  the  former,  and  will  tend  to  remove  the  repugnance 
wherewith  the  latter  are  commonly  regarded. 

Destructive  insects  have  their   appointed  tasks,  and  are 
limited  in  the  performance  of  them  ;   they  are  exposed  to 
l 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

many  accidents  through  the  influence  of  the  elements,  and 
they  fall  a  prey  to  numerous  animals,  many  of  them  also 
of  the  insect  race,  which,  while  they  fulfil  their  own  part 
in  the  economy  of  nature,  contribute  to  prevent  the  undue 
increase  of  the  noxious  tribes.  Too  often,  by  an  unwise 
interference  with  the  plan  of  Providence,  we  defeat  the 
very  measures  contrived  for  our  protection.  We  not  only 
suffer  from  our  own  carelessness,  but  through  ignorance 
fall  into  many  mistakes.  Civilization  and  cultivation,  in 
many  cases,  have  destroyed  the  balance  originally  exist- 
ing between  plants  and  insects,  and  between  the  latter  and 
other  animals.  Deprived  of  their  natural  food  by  the 
removal  of  the  forest  trees  and  shrubs,  and  the  other 
indigenous  plants  that  once  covered  the  soil,  insects  have 
now  no  other  resource  than  the  cultivated  plants  that  have 
taken  the  place  of  the  original  vegetation.  The  destruc- 
tion of  insect-eating  animals,  whether  quadrupeds,  birds, 
or  reptiles,  has  doubtless  tended  greatly  to  the  increase  of 
insects.  Colonization  and  commerce  have,  to  some  extent, 
introduced  foreign  insects  into  countries  where  they  were 
before  unknown.  It  is  to  such  causes  as  these  that  we 
are  to  attribute  the  unwelcome  appearance  and  the  undue 
multiplication  of  many  insects  in  our  cultivated  grounds,  and 
even  in  our  store-houses  and  dwellings.  We  have  no  reason 
to  believe  that  any  absolutely  new  insects  are  generated  or 
created  from  time  to  time.  The  supposed  new  species,  made 
known  to  us  first  by  their  unwonted  depredations,  may  have 
come  to  us  from  other  parts,  or  may  have  been  driven  by  the 
hand  of  improvement  from  their  native  haunts,  where  here- 
tofore the  race  had  lived  in  obscurity,  and  thus  had  escaped 
the,  notice  of  man. 

To  understand  the  relations  that  insects  bear  to  each  other 
and  to  other  objects,  and  to  learn  how  best  to  check  the 
ravages  of  the  noxious  tribes,  we  must  make  ourselves  thor- 
oughly acquainted  with  the  natural  history  of  these  animals. 
This  subject  is  particularly  important  to  all  persons  who  are 


INSECTS.  —  GENERAL    CHARACTERISTICS.  3 

interested  in  agricultural  pursuits.  For  their  use,  chiefly, 
this  account  of  the  principal  insects  that  are  injurious  to 
vegetation  in  New  England,  has  been  prepared.  It  has 
been  thought  best  to  prefix  thereto  some  remarks  on  the 
structure  and  classification  of  insects,  to  serve  as  an  intro- 
duction to  the  succeeding  chapters,  and,  in  some  measure, 
to  supply  the  want  of  a  more  general  and  complete  work 
on  this  branch  of  natural  history. 

The  word  Insect,  which,  in  the  Latin  language,  from 
whence  it  was  derived,  means  cut  into  or  notched,  was 
designed  to  express  one  of  the  chief  characters  of  this 
group  of  animals,  whose  body  is  marked  by  several  cross- 
lines  or  incisions.  The  parts  between  these  cross-h'nes  are 
called  segments,  or  rings,  and  consist  of  a  number  of  jointed 
pieces,  more  or  less  movable  on  each  other. 

Insects  have  a  very  small  brain,  and,  instead  of  a  spinal 
marrow,  a  kind  of  knotted  cord,  extending  from  the  brain  to 
the  hinder  extremity ;  and  numerous  small  whitish  threads, 
which  are  the  nerves,  spread  from  the  brain  and  knots,  in 
various  directions.  Two  long  air-pipes,  within  their  bodies, 
together  with  an  immense  number  of  smaller  pipes,  supply 
the  want  of  lungs,  and  carry  the  air  to  every  part.  Insects 
do  not  breathe  through  their  mouths,  but  through  little 
holes,  called  spiracles,  generally  nine  in  number,  along  each 
side  of  the  body.  Some,  however,  have  the  breathing-holes 
placed  in  the  hinder  extremity,  and  a  few  young  water- 
insects  breathe  by  means  of  gills.  The  heart  is  a  long  tube, 
lying  under  the  skin  of  the  back,  having  little  holes  on  each 
side  for  the  admission  of  the  juices  of  the  body,  which  are 
prevented  from  escaping  again  by  valves  or  clappers,  formed 
to  close  the  holes  within.  Moreover,  this  tubular  heart  is 
divided  into  several  chambers,  by  transverse  partitions,  in 
each  of  which  there  is  a  hole  shut  by  a  valve,  which  allows 
the  blood  to  flow  only  from  the  hinder  to  the  fore  part  of  the 
heart,  and  prevents  it  from  passing  in  the  contrary  direction. 
The  blood,  which  is  a  colorless  or  yellow  fluid,  does  not  cir- 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

culate  in  proper  arteries  and  veins  ;  but  is  driven  from  the 
fore  part  of  the  heart  into  the  head,  and  thence  escapes  into 
the  body,  where  it  is  mingled  with  the  nutritive  juices  that 
filter  through  the  sides  of  the  intestines,  and  the  mingled 
fluid  penetrates  the  crevices  among  the  flesh  and  other  in- 
ternal parts,  flowing  along  the  sides  of  the  air-pipes,  whereby 
it  receives  from  the  air  that  influence  which  renders  it  fitted 
to  nourish  the  frame  and  maintain  life. 

Insects  are  never  spontaneously  generated  from  putrid  ani- 
mal or  vegetable  matter,  but  are  produced  from  eggs.  A 
few,  such  as  some  plant-lice,  do  not  lay  their  eggs,  but  re- 
tain them  within  their  bodies  till  the  young  are  ready  to 
escape.  Others  invariably  lay  their  eggs  where  their  young, 
as  soon  as  they  are  hatched,  will  find  a  plentiful  supply  of 
food  immediately  within  their  reach. 

Most  insects,  in  the  course  of  their  lives,  are  subject  to 
very  great  changes  of  form,  attended  by  equally  remarkable 
changes  in  their  habits  and  propensities.  These  changes, 
transformations,  or  metamorphoses,  as  they  are  called,  might 
cause  the  same  insect,  at  different  ages,  to  be  mistaken  for 
as  many  different  animals.  For  example,  a  caterpillar,  after 
feeding  upon  leaves  till  it  is  fully  grown,  retires  into  some 
place  of  concealment,  casts  off"  its  caterpillar-skin,  and  pre- 
sents itself  in  an  entirely  different  form,  one  wherein  it  has 
neither  the  power  of  moving  about,  nor  of  taking  food ;  hi 
fact,  in  this  its  second  or  chrysalis  state,  the  insect  seems  to 
be  a  lifeless  oblong  oval  or  conical  body,  without  a  distinct 
head,  or  movable  limbs  ;  after  resting  awhile,  an  inward 
struggle  begins,  the  chrysalis-skin  bursts  open,  and  from  the 
rent  issues  a  butterfly  or  a  moth,  whose  small  and  flabby 
wings  soon  extend  and  harden,  and  become  fitted  to  bear 
away  the  insect  in  search  of  the  honeyed  juice  of  flowers 
and  other  liquids  that  suffice  for  its  nourishment. 

The  little  fish-like  animals  that  swim  about  in  vessels  of 
stagnant  water,  and  devour  the  living  atoms  that  swarm  in 
the  same  situations,  soon  come  to  maturity,  cast  their  skins, 


TRANSFORMATION    OF    INSECTS.  5 

and  take  another  form,  wherein  they  remain  rolled  up  like  a 
ball,  and  either  float  at  the  surface  of  the  water,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  breathing  through  the  two  tunnel-shaped  tubes  on  the 
top  of  their  backs,  or,  if  disturbed,  suddenly  uncurl  their 
bodies,  and  whirl  over  and  over  from  one  side  of  the  vessel 
to  the  other.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days  these  little  water- 
tumblers  are  ready  for  another  transformation ;  the  skin  splits 
on  the  back  between  the  breathing-tubes,  the  head,  body,  and 
limbs  of  a  mosquito  suddenly  burst  from  the  opening,  the 
slender  legs  rest  on  the  empty  skin  till  the  latter  fills  with 
water  and  sinks,  when  the  insect  abandons  its  native  ele- 
ment, spreads  its  tiny  wings,  and  flies  away,  piping  its  war- 
note,  and  thirsting  for  the  blood  which  its  natural  weapons 
enable  it  to  draw  from  its  unlucky  victims. 

The  full-fed  maggot,  that  has  rioted  in  filth  till  its  tender 
skin  seems  ready  to  burst  with  repletion,  when  the  appointed 
time  arrives,  leaves  the  offensive  matters  it  was  ordained  to 
assist  in  removing,  and  gets  into  some  convenient  hole  or 
crevice ;  then  its  body  contracts  or  shortens,  and  becomes 
egg-shaped,  while  the  skin  hardens,  and  turns  brown  and 
dry,  so  that,  under  this  form,  the  creature  appears  more  like 
a  seed  than  a  living  animal ;  after  some  time  passed  in  this 
inactive  and  equivocal  form,  during  which  wonderful  changes 
have  taken  place  within  the  seed-like  shell,  one  end  of  the 
shell  is  forced  off,  and  from  the  inside  comes  forth  a  buzzing 
fly,  that  drops  its  former  filthy  habits  with  its  cast-off  dress, 
and  now,  with  a  more  refined  taste,  seeks  only  to  lap  the  solid 
viands  of  our  tables,  or  sip  the  liquid  contents  of  our  cups. 

Caterpillars,  grubs,  and  maggots  undergo  a  complete  trans- 
formation in  coming  to  maturity ;  but  there  are  other  insects, 
such  as  crickets,  grasshoppers,  bugs,  and  plant-lice,  which, 
though  differing  a  good  deal  in  the  young  and  adult  states, 
are  not  subject  to  so  great  a  change,  their  transformations 
being  onjy  partial.  For  instance,  the  young  grasshopper 
comes  from  the  egg  a  wingless  insect,  and  consequently  un- 
able to  move  from  place  to  place  in  any  other  way  than  by 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

the  use  of  its  legs ;  as  it  grows  larger  it  is  soon  obliged  to 
cast  off  its  skin,  and,  after  one  or  two  moultings,  its  body 
not  only  increases  in  size,  but  becomes  proportionally  longer 
than  before,  while  little  stump-like  wings  begin  to  make  their 
appearance  on  the  top  of  the  back.  After  this,  the  grass- 
hopper continues  to  eat  voraciously,  grows  larger  and  larger, 
and  hops  about  without  any  aid  from  its  short  and  motion- 
less wings,  repeatedly  casts  off  its  outgrown  skin,  appearing 
each  time  with  still  longer  wings,  and  more  perfectly  formed 
limbs,  till  at  length  it  ceases  to  grow,  and,  shedding  its  skin 
for  the  last  time,  it  comes  forth  a  perfectly  formed  and  ma- 
ture grasshopper,  with  the  power  of  spreading  its  ample 
wings,  and  of  using  them  in  flight. 

Hence  there  are  three  periods  in  the  life  of  an  insect,  more 
or  less  distinctly  marked  by  corresponding  changes  in  the 
form,  powers,  and  habits.  In  the  first,  or  period  of  infancy, 
an  insect  is  technically  called  a  larva,  a  word  signifying  a 
mask,  because  therein  its  future  form  is  more  or  less  masked 
or  concealed.  This  name  is  not  only  applied  to  grubs,  cat- 
erpillars, and  maggots,  and  to  other  insects  that  undergo  a 
complete  transformation,  but  also  to  young  and  wingless 
grasshoppers,  and  bugs,  and  indeed  to  all  young  insects  be- 
fore the  wings  begin  to  appear.  In  this  first  period,  which 
is  generally  much  the  longest,  insects  are  always  wingless, 
pass  most  of  their  time  in  eating,  grow  rapidly,  and  usually 
cast  off  their  skins  repeatedly. 

The  second  period  —  wherein  those  insects  that  undergo  a 
partial  transformation  retain  their  activity  and  then*  appe- 
tites for  food,  continue  to  grow,  and  acquire  the  rudiments 
of  wings,  while  others,  at  this  age,  entirely  lose  their  larva 
form,  take  no  food,  and  remain  at  rest  in  a  deathlike  sleep — 
is  called  the  pupa  state,  from  a  slight  resemblance  that  some 
of  the  latter  present  to  an  infant  trussed  in  bandages,  as  was 
the  fashion  among  the  Romans.  The  pupae  from  caterpillars, 
however,  are  more  commonly  called  chrysalids,  because  some 
of  them,  as  the  name  implies,  are  gilt  or  adorned  with  golden 


ORGANS    OF    INSECTS    DESCRIBED.  7 

spots ;  and  grubs,  after  their  first  transformation,  are  often 
named  nymphs,  for  what  reason  does  not  appear.  At  the 
end  of  the  second  period,  insects  again  shed  their  skins,  and 
come  forth  fully  grown,  and  (with  few  exceptions)  provided 
with  wings.  Thus  they  enter  upon  their  last  or  adult  state, 
wherein  they  no  longer  increase  in  size,  and  during  which 
they  provide  for  a  continuation  of  their  kind.  This  period 
usually  lasts  only  a  short  time,  for  most  insects  die  imme- 
diately after  their  eggs  are  laid.  Bees,  wasps,  and  ants, 
however,  which  live  in  society,  and  labor  together  for  the 
common  good  of  their  communities,  continue  much  longer 
in  the  adult  state. 

In  winged  or  adult  insects,  two  of  the  transverse  incisions 
with  which  they  are  marked  are  deeper  than  the  rest,  so  that 
the  body  seems  to  consist  of  three  principal  portions,  the  first 
whereof  is  the  head,  the  second  or  middle  portion  the  thorax, 
or  chest,  and  the  third  or  hindmost  the  abdomen,  or  hind- 
body.  In  some  wingless  insects  these  three  portions  are  also 
to  be  seen ;  but  in  most  young  insects,  or  larvae,  the  body 
consists  of  the  head  and  a  series  of  twelve  rings  or  segments, 
the  thorax  not  being  distinctly  separated  from  the  hinder  part 
of  the  body,  as  may  be  perceived  in  caterpillars,  grubs,  and 
maggots. 

The  eyes  of  adult  insects,  though  apparently  two  in  num- 
ber, are  compound,  each  consisting  of  a  great  number  of 
single  eyes  closely  united  together,  and  incapable  of  being 
rolled  in  their  sockets.  Such  also  are  the  eyes  of  the  larvae, 
and  of  the  active  pupae  of  those  insects  that  undergo  an 
imperfect  transformation.  Moreover,  many  winged  insects 
have  one,  two,  or  three  little  single  eyes,  placed  near  each 
other  on  the  crown  of  the  head,  and  called  ocelli,  or  eyelets. 
The  eyes  of  grubs,  caterpillars,  and  of  other  completely  trans- 
forming larvae,  are  not  compound,  but  consist  of  five  or  six 
eyelets  clustered  together,  without  touching,  on  each  side  of 
the  head ;  some,  however,  such  as  maggots,  are  totally  blind. 
Near  to  the  eyes  are  two  jointed  members,  named  antennce, 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

corresponding,  for  the  most  part,  in  situation,  with  the  ears 
of  other  animals,  and  supposed  to  be  connected  with  the 
sense  of  hearing,  of  touch,  or  of  both  united.  The  antenna? 
are  very  short  in  larvae,  and  of  various  sizes  and  forms  in 
other  insects. 

The  mouth  of  some  insects  is  made  for  biting  or  chewing, 
that  of  others  for  taking  the  food  only  by  suction.  The 
biting-insects  have  the  parts  of  the  mouth  variously  modified 
to  suit  the  nature  of  the  food ;  and  these  parts  are,  an  upper 
and  an  under  lip,  two  nippers  or  jaws  on  each  side,  moving 
sidewise,  and  not  up  and  down,  and  four  or  six  little  jointed 
members,  called  palpi  or  feelers,  whereof  two  belong  to  the 
lower  lip,  and  one  or  two  to  each  of  the  lower  jaws.  The 
mouth  of  sucking-insects  consists  essentially  of  these  same 
parts,  but  so  different  in  their  shape  and  in  the  purposes  for 
which  they  are  designed,  that  the  resemblance  between  them 
and  those  of  biting-insects  is  not  easily  recognized.  Thus 
the  jaws  of  caterpillars  are  transformed  to  a  spiral  sucking- 
tube  hi  butterflies  and  moths,  and  those  of  maggots  to  a 
hard  proboscis,  fitted  for  piercing,  as  in  the  mosquito  and 
horse-fly,  or  to  one  of  softer  consistence,  and  ending  with 
fleshy  lips'  for  lapping,  as  in  common  flies  ;  while  in  bugs, 
plant-lice,  and  some  other  insects  resembling  them,  the 
parts  of  the  mouth  undergo  no  essential  change  from  infancy 
to  the  adult  state,  but  are  formed  into  a  long,  hard,  and 
jointed  beak,  bent  under  the  breast  when  not  in  use,  and 
designed  only  for  making  punctures  and  drawing  in  liquid 
nourishment. 

The  parts  belonging  to  the  thorax  are  the  wings  and  the 
legs.  The  former  are  two  or  four  in  number,  and  vary 
greatly  in  form  and  consistence,  in  the  situation  of  the  wing- 
bones  or  veins,  as  they  are  generally  called,  and  in  their  posi- 
tion or  the  manner  in  which  they  are  closed  or  folded  when 
at  rest.  The  under-side  of  the  thorax  is  the  breast,  and  to 
this  are  fixed  the  legs,  which  are  six  in  number  in  adult 
insects,  and  in  the  larvae  and  pupae  of  those  that  are  subject 


BASIS    OF    CLASSIFICATION.  9 

only  to  a  partial  transformation.  The  parts  of  the  legs  are  the 
hip-joint,  by  which  the  leg  is  fastened  to  the  body,  the  thigh, 
the  shank  (tibia),  and  the  foot,  the  latter  consisting  some- 
times of  one  joint  only,  more  often  of  two,  three,  four,  or  five 
pieces  (tarsi),  connected  end  to  end,  like  the  joints  of  the 
finger,  and  armed  at  the  extremity  with  one  or  two  claws. 
Of  the  larvae  that  undergo  a  complete  transformation,  mag- 
gots and  some  others  are  destitute  of  legs  ;  many  grubs  have 
six,  namely,  a  pair  beneath  the  under-side  of  the  first  three 
segments,  and  sometimes  an  additional  fleshy  prop-leg  under 
the  hindmost  extremity  ;  caterpillars  and  false  caterpillars 
have,  besides  the  six  true  legs  attached  to  the  first  three 
rings,  several  fleshy  prop-like  legs,  amounting  sometimes  to 
ten  or  sixteen  in  number,  placed  in  pairs  beneath  the  other 
segments. 

The  abdomen,  or  hindmost,  and,  as  to  size,  the  principal 
part  of  the  body,  contains  the  organs  of  digestion,  and  other 
internal  parts,  and  to  it  also  belong  the  piercer  and  the  sting 
with  which  many  winged  or  adult  insects  are  provided.  The 
piercer  is  sometimes  only  a  flexible  or  a  jointed  tube,  capable 
of  being  thrust  out  of  the  end  of  the  body,  and  is  used  for 
conducting  the  eggs  into  the  crevices  or  holes  where  they  are 
to  be  laid.  In  some  other  insects  it  consists  of  a  kind  of  scab- 
bard, containing  a  central  borer,  or  instruments  like  saws,  de- 
signed for  making  holes  wherein  the  eggs  are  to  be  inserted. 
^The  sting,  in  like  manner,  consists  of  a  sheath  enclosing  a 
sharp  instrument  for  inflicting  wounds,  connected  wherewith 
in  the  inside  of  the  body  is  a  bag  of  venom  or  poison.  The 
parts  belonging  to  the  abdomen  of  larvae  are  various,  but  are 
mostly  designed  to  aid  them  in  their  motions,  or  to  provide 
for  their  respiration. 

An  English  entomologist  has  stated,  that,  on  an  average, 
there  are  six  distinct  insects  to  one  plant.  This  proportion 
is  probably  too  great  for  our  country,  where  vast  tracts  are 
covered  with  forests,  and  the  other  original  vegetable  races 
still  hold  possession  of  the  soil.  There  are  above  1,200 
2 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

flowering  plants  in  Massachusetts,  and  it  will  be  within 
bounds  to  estimate  the  species  of  insects  at  4,800,  or  in  the 
proportion  of  four  to  one  plant.  To  facilitate  the  study  of 
such  an  immense  number,  some  kind  of  classification  is  neces- 
sary ;  it  will  be  useful  to  adopt  one,  even  in  describing  the 
few  species  now  before  us.  The  basis  of  this  classification  is 
founded  upon  the  structure  of  the  mouth,  in  the  adult  state, 
the  number  and  nature  of  the  wings,  and  the  transformations. 
The  first  great  divisions  are  called  orders,  of  which  the  fol- 
lowing seven  are  very  generally  adopted  by  naturalists. 

1.  COLEOPTERA  (^Beetles).  Insects  with  jaws,  two  thick 
wing-covers  meeting  in  a  straight  line  on  the  top  of  the  back, 
and  two  filmy  wings,  which  are  folded  transversely.  Trans- 
formation complete.  Larvae,  called  grubs,  generally  provided 
with  six  true  legs,  and  sometimes  also  with  a  terminal  prop- 
leg  ;  more  rarely  without  legs.  Pupa  with  the  wings  and  the 
legs  distinct  and  unconfined. 

Many  of  these  insects,  particularly  in  the  larva  state,  are  very 
injurious   to  vegetation.      The   tiger-beetles    (Cicindeladce*),   the 
predaceous  ground-beetles  (Carabidce),  the  diving-beetles  (Dytis- 
cidce),  the  lady-birds   (Coccinelladce),  and  some  others,  are  emi- 
nently   serviceable   by  preying  upon   caterpillars, 
plant-lice,  and  other  noxious  or  destructive  insects. 
The  water-lovers  (Hydropliilidce),  rove-beetles  (Sta- 
phylinidce),  carrion-beetles  (Silphadte),  skin-beetles 
(Dermestadte,  Byrrhidce,  and  Trogidce),  bone-beetles* 
(some  of  the  Nitiduladce  and   Cleridee),  and  vari- 
ous kinds  of  dung-beetles  (Sphceridiadte,  ffisteridte, 
Tenebrfo  moiitor.      Geotrupid(e,-\  Coprididce^  and  Aphodiadcety,  and 
(Meal-worm.)        clocks   (PimeliadcR  and  Blaptidoe),  act  the  useful 
part  of  scavengers,  by  removing  carrion,  dung,  and 
other  filth,  upon  which  alone  they  and  their  larvae  subsist.     Many 

*  See  the  Catalogue  of  Insects  appended  to  Professor  Hitchcock's  Report  on 
the  Geology,  Mineralogy,  Botany,  and  Zoulogy  of  Massachusetts.  2d  edit.  8vo. 
Amhcrst  1835. 

t  All  the  Scarabasidae  of  my  Catalogue,  from  Aleuchus  to  Geotrupes  inclusive, 
to  which  may  be  added  many  included  in  the  genus  Scarabarus. 


COLEOPTERA.  —  ORTHOPTERA.  —  HEMIPTERA.      11 

Coleoptera  (some  Staphylinidce  and  Nitiduladce,  Dia-  Fig.  2. 
perididce,  some  Serropalpidce,  Mycetophagidce,  Eroty- 
lidte,  and  Endomychida)  live  altogether  on  agarics, 
mushrooms,  and  toadstools,  plants  of  very  little  use  to 
man,  many  of  them  poisonous,  arid  in  a  state  of  decay 
often  offensive ;  these  fungus-eaters  are  therefore  to  be 
reckoned  among  our  friends.  There  are  others,  such  as 
the  stag-beetles  (Lucanidce),  some  spring-beetles  (Elaterida),  dark- 
ling-beetles (Tenebrionidte),  (Figs.  1  —  3,)  and  many 
bark-beetles  (Helopidce,  Cisteladce,  Serropalpidae,  (Ede- 
meradce,  Cucujadce,  and  some  Trogositadce),  which,  liv- 
ing under  the  bark  and  in  the  trunks  and  roots  of  old 
trees,  though  they  may  occasionally  prove  injurious,  must 
on  the  whole  be  considered  as  serviceable,  by  contribut- 
ing to  destroy  and  reduce  to  dust  plants  that  have  passed 
their  prime  and  are  fast  going  to  decay.  And,  lastly, 
the  blistering-beetles  (Cantharididce)  have,  for  a  long  time,  been 
employed  with  great  benefit  in  the  healing  art. 

2.  ORTHOPTERA  (Cockroaches,  Crickets,  Grasshoppers,  <fc.). 
Insects  with  jaws,  two  rather  thick  and  opaque  tipper  wino-s, 
overlapping  a  little  on  the  back,  and  two  larger,  thin  wings, 
which  are  folded  in  plaits,  like  a  fan.     Transformation  par- 
tial.    Larvae  and  pupae  active,  but  wanting  wings. 

All  of  the  insects  of  this  order,  except  the  camel-crickets  (Man- 
tidce),  which  prey  on  other  insects,  are  injurious  to  our  household 
possessions,  or  destructive  to  vegetation. 

3.  HEMIPTERA  (Bugs,  locusts,  Plant-lice,  <f  e.).     Insects 
with   a   horny   beak   for   suction,    four   wings,  whereof  the 
uppermost   are   generally  thick   at   the   base,  with   thinner 
extremities,  which  lie  flat,  and  cross  each  other  on  the  top 
of  the   back,   or  are '  of  uniform  thickness  throughout,  and 
slope  at  the  sides  like  a  roof.    Transformation  partial.    Larvae 
and  pupa?  nearly  like  the  adult  insect,  but  wanting  wings. 

The  various  kinds  of  field  and  house  bugs  give  out  a  strong  and 
disagreeable  smell.  Many  of  them  (some  Pentatomadce  and  Ly- 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

gceida,  Cimicidce,  Reduviada,  Hydrometradce,  Nepadce  [Plate  I. 
Fig.  1,  Nepa  apiculata],  and  Notonectadce)  live  entirely  on  the 
juices  of  animals,  and  by  this  means  destroy  great  numbers  of 
noxious  insects ;  some  are  of  much  service  in  the  arts,  affording  us 
the  costly  cochineal,  scarlet  grain,  lac,  and  manna  ;  but  the  benefits 
derived  from  these  are  more  than  counterbalanced  by  the  injuries 
committed  by  the  domestic  kinds,  and  by  the  numerous  tribes  of 
plant-bugs,  locusts  or  cicadae,  tree-hoppers,  plant-lice,  bark-lice, 
mealy  bugs,  and  the  like,  that  suck  the  juices  of  plants,  and  re- 
quire the  greatest  care  and  watchfulness  on  our  part  to  keep  them 
in  check. 

4.  NEUROPTERA  {Dragon-flies,  Lace-winged  flies;  May- 
flies, Ant-lion,  Day-fly,  White  Ants,  <f*c.).    Insects  with  jaws, 
four  netted  wings,  of  which  the  hinder  ones  are  the  largest, 
and  no  sting  or  piercer.     Transformation  complete,  or  partial. 
Larva  and  pupa  various. 

The  white  ants,  wood-lice,  and  wood-ticks,  (Termitida  and 
Psocidce,)  the  latter  including  also  the  little  ominous  death-watch, 
are  almost  the  only  noxious  insects  in  the  order,  and  even  these 
do  not  injure  living  plants.  The  dragon-flies,  or,  as  they  are  com- 
monly called  in  this  country,  devil's-needles  (Libettuladte),  (Figs. 
4,  5,)  (Plate  I.  Fig.  2,  Agrion  basalis,)  prey  upon  gnats  and 
mosquitoes  ;  and  their  larvae  and  pupae,  as  well  as  those  of  the 
day-flies  (Ephemeradfe),  semblians  (Semblididce),  and  those  of 
some  of  the  May-flies,  called  caddis-worms  (Phryganeadce),  (Fig. 
6,)  all  of  which  live  in  the  water,  devour  aquatic  insects.  The 
predaceous  habits  of  the  ant-lions  (Myrmeleontidce),  (Fig.  7,) 
have  been  often  described.  The  lace-winged  flies  (HemeroU- 
adte),  (Fig.  8,)  in  the  larva  state,  live  wholly  on  plant-lice,  great 
numbers  of  which  they  destroy.  The  mantispians  (Mantispa- 
dce),  and  the  scorpion-flies  (Panorpad<E),  are  also  predaceous 
insects. 

5.  LEPIDOPTERA  {Butterflies  and  Moths).     Mouth  with  a 
spiral  sucking-tube ;  wings  four,  covered  with  branny  scales. 
Transformation  complete.     The  larvae  are  caterpillars,  and 
have  six  true  legs,  and  from  four  to  ten  fleshy  prop-legs. 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

Pupa  with  the  cases  of  the  wings  and  of  the  legs  indistinct, 
and  soldered  to  the  breast. 

Some  kinds  of  caterpillars  are  domestic  pests,  and  devour  cloth, 
wool,  furs,  feathers,  wax,  lard,  flour,  and  the  like ;  but  by  far  the 
greatest  number  live  wholly  on  vegetable  food,  certain  kinds  being 
exclusively  leaf-eaters,  while  others  attack  the  buds,  fruit,  seeds, 
bark,  pith,  stems,  and  roots  of  plants. 

6.  HYMENOPTERA  (Saw-flies,  Ants,  Wasps,  Bees,  ^c.). 
Insects  with  jaws,  four  veined  wings,  in  most  species,  the 
hinder  pair  being  the  smallest,  and  a  piercer  or  sting  at 
the  extremity  of  the  abdomen.  Transformation  complete. 
Larvae  mostly  maggot-like,  or  slug-like ;  of  some,  caterpillar- 
like.  Pupae  with  the  legs  and  wings  unconfined. 

In  the  adult  state  these  insects  live  chiefly  on  the  honey  and 
pollen  of  flowers,  and  the  juices  of  fruits.  The  larvae  of  the 
saw-flies  (Tenthredinidce),  under  the  form  of  false-caterpillars  and 
slugs,  are  leaf-eaters,  and  are  oftentimes  productive  of  much  injury 
to  plants.  The  larvae  of  the  xiphydrians  (Xiphydriadce),  and  of 
the  horn-tails  (Uroceridce),  are  borers  and  wood-eaters,  and  con- 
sequently injurious  to  the  plants  inhabited  by  them.  Pines  and 
firs  suffer  most  from  their  attacks.  Some  of  the  warty  excres- 
cences on  the  leaves  and  stems  of  plants,  such  as  oak-apples,  gall- 
nuts,  and  the  like,  arise  from  the  punctures  of  four-winged  gall-flies 
(Diplolepididce),  and  the  irritation  produced  by  their  larvae,  which 
reside  in  these  swellings.  The  injury  caused  by  them  is,  com- 
paratively, of  very  little  importance,  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
we  are  greatly  indebted  to  these  insects  for  the  gall-nuts  that  are 
extensively  used  in  coloring  and  in  medicine,  and  form  the  chief 
ingredient  in  ink.  We  may,  therefore,  write  down  these  insects 
among  the  benefactors  of  the  human  race.  Immense  numbers  of 
caterpillars  and  other  noxious  insects  are  preyed  upon  by  in- 
ternal enemies,  the  larvaa  of  the  ichneumon-flies  (Evaniada,  Ichneu- 
monidee,  and  Chalcididce),  which  live  upon  the  fat  of  their  victims, 
and  finally  destroy  them.  Some  of  these  ichneumon-flies  (Ichneu- 
mones  ovulorum*)  are  extremely  small,  and  confine  their  attacks 

*  Now  placed  among  the  Proclotrujmfa. 


HABITS    OF    SOME    HYMENOPTERA.  15 

to  the  eggs  of  other  insects,  which  they  puncture,  and  the  little 
creatures  produced  from  the  latter  find  a  sufficient  quantity  of  food 
to  supply  all  their  wants  within  the  larger  eggs  they  occupy.  The 
ruby-tails  (Chrysididce)  and  the  cuckoo-bees  (ffylceus,  Spkecodes, 
Nomada,  Melecta,  Epeoliis,  Codioxys,  and  Stelis)  lay  their  eggs  in 
the  provisioned  nests  of  other  insects,  whose  young  are  robbed 
of  their  food  by  the  earlier-hatched  intruders,  and  are  conse- 
quently starved  to  death.  The  wood- wasps  ( Crabronidte),  and 
numerous  kinds  of  sand-wasps  (Larradce,  Bembicidce,  Sphegidce, 
Pompilidae,  and  Scoliadce),  mud- wasps  (Pelopceus),  the  stinging 
velvet-ants  (Mutilladte),  (Plate  I.  Fig.  3,  Mutilla  coccinea,)  and  the 
solitary  wasps  (Odynerus  and  Eumenes),  are  predaceous  in  their 
habits,  and  provision  their  nests  with  other  insects,  which  serve  for 
food  to  their  young. 

The  food  of  ants  consists  of  animal  and  vegetable  juices;  and 
though  these  industrious  little  animals  sometimes  prove  troublesome 
by  their  fondness  for  sweets,  yet,  as  they  seize  and  destroy  many 
insects  also,  their  occasional  trespasses  may  well  be  forgiven.  Even 
the  proverbially  irritable  paper-making  wasps  and  hornets  (Polistes 
and  Vespa)  are  not  without  their  use  in  the  economy  of  nature ; 
for  they  feed  their  tender  offspring  not  only  with  vegetable  juices, 
but  with  the  softer  parts  of  other  insects,  great  numbers  of  which 
they  seize  and  destroy  for  this  purpose.  The  solitary  and  social 
bees  (Andrenadce  and  Apidce)  live  wholly  on  the  honey  and  pollen 
of  flowers,  and  feed  their  young  with  a  mixture  of  the  same,  called 
bee-bread. 

Various  kinds  of  bees  are  domesticated  for  the  sake  of  their 
stores  of  wax  and  honey,  and  are  thus  made  to  contribute  directly 
to  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  man,  in  return  for  the  care  and 
attention  afforded  them.  Honey  and  wax  are  also  obtained 
from  several  species  of  wild  bees  (Melipona,  Trigona,  and  Tetra- 
gond),  essentially  different  from  the  domesticated  kinds.  While 
bees  and  other  hymenopterous  insects  seek  only  the  gratification  of 
their  own  inclinations,  in  their  frequent  visits  to  flowers,  they  carry 
on  their  bodies  the  yellow  dust  or  pollen  from  one  blossom  to 
another,  and  scatter  it  over  the  parts  prepared  to  receive  and  be 
fertilized  by  it,  whereby  they  render  an  important  service  to 
vegetation. 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

7.  DIPTERA  (Mosquitoes,  Grnats,  Flies,  <f-c.).  Insects 
with  a  horny  or  fleshy  proboscis,  two  wings  only,  and  two 
knobbed  threads,  called  balancers  or  poisers,  behind  the 
wings.  Transformation  complete.  The  larvae  are  maggots, 
without  feet,  and  with  the  breathing-holes  generally  in  the 
hinder  extremity  of  the  body.  Pupae  mostly  incased  in  the 
dried  skin  of  the  larvae,  sometimes,  however,  naked,  in  which 
case  the  wings  and  the  legs  are  visible,  and  are  found  to  be 
more  or  less  free  or  unconfined. 

The  two-winged  insects,  though  mostly  of  moderate  or  small 
size,  are  not  only  very  numerous  in  kinds  or  species,  but  also  ex- 
tremely abundant  in  individuals  of  the  same  kind,  often  appearing 
in  swarms  of  countless  multitudes.  Flies  are  destined  to  live 
wholly  on  liquid  food,  and  are  therefore  provided  with  a  proboscis, 
enclosing  hard  and  sharp-pointed  darts,  instead  of  jaws,  and  fitted 
for  piercing  and  sucking,  or  ending  with  soft  and  fleshy  lips  for 
lapping.  In  our  own  persons  we  suffer  much  from  the  sharp 
suckers  and  bloodthirsty  propensities  of  gnats  and  mosquitoes 
(Culicidce),  and  also  from  those  of  certain  midges  (Ceratopogon 
and  Simulium),  including  the  tormenting  black-flies  (Simulium 
molestum)  of  this  country.  The  larvae  of  these  insects  live  in 
stagnant  water,  and  subsist  on  minute  aquatic  animals.  Horse- 
flies and  the  golden-eyed  forest-flies  (Tabanidce),  whose  larvae 
live  in  the  ground,  and  the  stinging  stable-flies  (Stomoxys),  which 
closely  resemble  common  house-flies,  and  in  the  larvae  state  live 
in  dung,  attack  both  man  and  animals,  goading  the  latter  some- 
times almost  to  madness  by  their  severe  and  incessant  punctures. 
The  winged  horse-ticks  (Hippoboscce),  the  bird-flies  (Omithomyice), 
the  wingless  sheep-ticks  (Melophagi),  and  the  spider-flies  (Nycte- 
ribiee),  and  bee-lice  (Bratdte),  which  are  also  destitute  of  wings, 
are  truly  parasitical  in  their  habits,  and  pass  their  whole  lives 
upon  the  skin  of  animals.  Bot-flies,  or  gad-flies  (CEftridai),  as 
they  are  sometimes  called,  appear  to  take  no  food  while  in  the 
winged  state,  and  are  destitute  of  a  proboscis ;  the  nourishment 
obtained  by  their  larvae,  which,  as  is  well  known,  live  in  the  bodies 
of  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  other  animals,  being  sufficient  to  last 
these  insects  during  the  rest  of  their  lives.  Some  flies,  though 


TWO-WINGED    INSECTS.  17 

apparently  harmless  in  the  winged  state,  deposit  their  eggs  on 
plants,  on  the  juices  of  which  their  young  subsist,  and  are  often- 
times productive  of  immense  injury  to  vegetation  ;  among  these 
the  most  notorious  for  their  depredations  are  the  gall-gnats 
(Cecidomyite),  including  the  wheat-fly  and  Hessian  fly,  the  root- 
eating  maggots  of  some  of  the  long-legged  gnats  (Tipul<B),  those 
of  the  flower-flies  (Anthomyice),  and  the  two-winged  gall-flies  and 
fruit-flies  (Ortalides).  To  this  list  of  noxious  flies  are  to  be  added 
the  common  house-flies  (Muscat),  which  pass  through  the  maggot 
state  in  dung  and  other  filth,  the  blue-bottle  or  blow-flies,  and 
meat-flies  (Lucilice  and  Calliphorce),  together  with  the  maggot- 
producing  or  viviparous  flesh-flies  (Sarcophagce  and  Oynomyiae), 
whose  maggots  live  in  flesh,  the  cheese-fly  (Piophild),  the  parent 
of  the  well-known  skippers,  and  a  few  others  that  in  the  larva  state 
attack  our  household  stores. 

Some  flies  are  harmless  in  all  their  states,  and  many  are  emi- 
nently useful  in  various  ways.  Even  the  common  house-flies,  and 
flesh-flies,  together  with  others  for  which  no  names  exist  in  our 
language,  render  important  services  by  feeding  while  larvae  upon 
dung,  carrion,  and  all  kinds  of  filth,  by  which  means,  and  by 
similar  services  rendered  by  various  tribes  of  scavenger-beetles, 
these  offensive  matters  speedily  disappear,  instead  of  remaining 
to  decay  slowly,  thereby  tainting  the  air  and  rendering  it  unwhole- 
some. Those  whose  larvae  live  in  stagnant  water,  such  as  gnats 
(Culicidce),  feather-horned  gnats  (Chironomus,  &c.),  the  soldier- 
flies  (Stratiomyadte),  the  rat-tailed  flies  (Helophilus),  &c.,  &c.,  tend 
to  prevent  the  water  from  becoming  putrid,  by  devouring  the  de- 
cayed animal  and  vegetable  matter  it  contains.  The  maggots  of 
some  flies  (Mycetophilce  and  various  Muscadce)  live  in  mush- 
rooms, toadstoofs,  and  similar  excrescences  growing  on  trees  ; 
those  of  others  (Sargi,  Xylophagidce,  Asilidce,  Tkerevce,  Milesia, 
Xylotce,  Borbori,  &c.,  &c.),  in  rotten  wood  and  bark,  thereby  join- 
ing with  the  grubs  of  certain  beetles  to  hasten  the  removal  of 
these  dead  and  useless  substances,  and  make  room  for  new  and 
more  vigorous  vegetation.  Some  of  these  wood-eating  insects,  with 
others,  when  transformed  to  flies,  (Asilidce  [Plate  I.  Fig.  4,  Asilus 
aestuans],  Rhagionidee,  Dolichopidee,  and  Xylophagidte,)  prey  on 
other  insects.  Some  (Syrphidee),  though  not  predaceous  them- 
3 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

selves  in  the  winged  state,  deposit  their  eggs  among  plant-lice, 
upon  the  blood  of  which  their  young  afterwards  subsist.  Many 
(Conopida,  excluding  Stomoxys,  Tackince,  Ocyptertz,  Phorce,  &c.) 
lay  their  eggs  on  caterpillars,  and  on  various  other  larvae,  within 
the  bodies  of  which  the  maggots  hatched  from  these  eggs  live  till 
they  destroy  their  victims.  And  finally  others  (Anihracidce  and 
Volucettce)  drop  their  eggs  in  the  nests  of  insects,  whose  offspring 
are  starved  to  death,  by  being  robbed  of  their  food  by  the  off- 
spring of  these  cuckoo-flies.  Besides  performing  their  various 
appointed  tasks  in  the  economy  of  nature,  flies,  and  other  insects, 
subserve  another  highly  important  purpose,  for  which  an  all-wise 
Providence  has  designed  them,  namely,  that  of  furnishing  food 
to  numerous  other  animals.  Not  to  mention  the  various  kinds  of 
insect-eating  quadrupeds,  such  as  bats,  moles,  and  the  like,  many 
birds  live  partly  or  entirely  on  insects.  The  finest  song-birds, 
nightingales  and  thrushes,  feast  with  the  highest  relish  on  maggots 
of  all  kinds,  as  well  as  on  flies  and  other  insects,  while  the  warblers, 
vireos,  and  especially  the  fly-catchers  and  swallows,  devour  these 
two-winged  insects  in  great  numbers. 

'  The  seven  foregoing  orders  constitute  very  natural  groups, 
relatively  of  nearly  equal  importance,  and  sufficiently  distinct 
from  each  other,  but  connected  at  different  points  by  various 
resemblances.  It  is  impossible  to  show  the  mutual  relations 
of  these  orders,  when  they  are  arranged  in  a  continuous  se- 
ries, but  these  can  be  better  expressed  and  understood  by 
grouping  the  orders  together  in  a  cluster,  so  that  each  order 
shall  come  in  contact  with  several  others. 

Besides  these  seven  orders,  there  are  several  smaller 
groups,  which  some  naturalists  have  thought  proper  to  raise 
to  the  rank  of  independent  orders.  Upon  the  principal  of 
these  a  few  remarks  will  now  be  made. 

The  little  order  STREPSIPTERA  of  Kirby,  or  RHIPIPTERA  of 
Latreille,  consists  of  certain  minute  insects,  which  undergo 
their  transformations  within  the  bodies  of  bees  and  wasps. 
One  of  them,  the  Xenos  Peckii,  was  discovered  by  Professor 
Peck  in  the  common  brown  wasp  (Foliates  fuscato)  of  this 


DIFFICULTIES    IN    ARRANGEMENT.  19 

country.  The  larva  is  maggot-like,  and  lives  between  the 
rings  of  the  back  of  the  wasp ;  the  pupa  resembles  that  of 
some  flies,  and  is  cased  in  the  dried  skin  of  the  larva.  The 
females  never  acquire  wings,  and  never  leave  the  bodies  of 
the  bees  or  wasps  into  which  they  penetrate  while  young. 
The  males,  in  the  adult  state,  have  a  pair  of  short,  narrow, 
and  twisted  members,  instead  of  fore-wings,  and  two  very- 
large  hind-wings,  folded  lengthwise  like  a  fan.  The  mouth 
is  provided  with  a  pair  of  slender,  sharp-pointed  jaws,  better 
adapted  for  piercing  than  for  biting.  It  is  very  difficult  to 
determine  the  proper  place  of  these  insects  in  a  natural  ar- 
rangement. Latreille  puts  them  between  the  Lepidoptera  and 
Diptera,  but  thinks  them  most  nearly  allied  to  some  of  the 
Hymenoptera.1 

The  flea  tribe  (Puliddce)  was  placed  among  the  bugs,  or 
Hemiptera,  by  Fabricius.  It  constitutes  the  order  APTERA 
of  Leach,  SIPHON  APTERA  of  Latreille,  and  APHANIPTERA  of 
Kirby.  Fleas  are  destitute  of  wings,  in  the  place  whereof 
there  are  four  little  scales,  pressed  closely  to  the  sides  of 
their  bodies ;  their  mouth  is  fitted  for  suction,  and  provided 
with  several  lancet-like  pieces  for  making  punctures ;  they 
undergo  a  complete  transformation ;  their  larvae  are  worm- 
like  and  without  feet;  and  their  pupae  have  the  legs  free. 
These  insects,  of  which  there  are  many  different  kinds,  are 
intermediate  in  their  characteristics  between  the  Hemiptera 
and  the  Diptera,  and  seem  to  connect  more  closely  these 
two  orders. 

The  earwigs  (Forficuladce),  of  which  also  there  are  many 
kinds,  were  placed  by  Linnaeus  in  the  order  Coleoptera,  but 
most  naturalists  now  include  them  among  the  Orthoptera ; 
indeed,  they  seem  to  be  related  to  both  orders,  but  most 


[*  Systematic  authors  now  consider  the  order  of  Strepsiptera  as  simply  a  fam- 
ily, though  a  very  aberrant  one,  of  Coleoptera.  It  is  placed  after  the  Rhipipho- 
ridffi,  under  the  name  Stylopidae,  from  its  principal  genus,  Stylops,  which  is  par- 
asitic in  certain  genera  of  bees ;  a  species  of  this  genus  has  been  discovered  in 
Nova  Scotia,  and  will  probably  be  found  hereafter  in  New  England.  —  LEG.] 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

closely  to  the  Orthoptera,  with  which  they  agree  in  their 
partial  transformations,  and  active  pupa?.  They  form  the 
little  order  DERMAPTERA  of  Leach,  or  EUPLEXOPTERA  of 
Westwood. 

The  spider-flies,  bird-flies,  sheep-tick,  &c.  (Hippoboscadoe), 
which,  with  Latreille  and  others,  I  have  retained  among  the 
Diptera,  form  the  order  HOMALOPTERA  of  Leach,  and  the 
English  entomologists. 

The  May-flies,  or  case-flies  (Pliryganeadce),  have  been 
separated  from  the  Neuroptera ;  and  constitute  the  order 
TRICHOPTERA  of  Kirby.  Latreille  and  most  of  the  natu- 
ralists of  the  continent  of  Europe  still  retain  them  in 
Neuroptera,  to  which  they  seem  properly  to  belong. 

The  Tlirips  tribe  consists  of  minute  insects  more  closely 
allied  to  Hemiptera  than  to  any  other  order,  but  resembling 
in  some  respects  the  Orthoptera  also.  It  forms  the  little 
order  THYSANOPTERA  of  Haliday ;  but  I  propose  to  leave  it, 
as  Latreille  has  done,  among  the  Hemiptera. 

The  English  entomologists  separate  from  Hemiptera  the 
cicadas  or  harvest-flies,  lantern-flies,  frog-hoppers,  plant-lice, 
bark-lice,  &c.,  under  the  name  of  HOMOPTERA  ;  but  these 
insects  seem  too  nearly  to  resemble  the  true  Hemiptera  to 
warrant  the  separation. 

Burmeister,  a  Prussian  naturalist,  has  subdivided  the  Neu- 
roptera into  the  orders  NEUROPTERA  and  DICTYOTOPTERA, 
the  latter  to  include  the  species  which  undergo  only  a  partial 
transformation.  If  Hemiptera  is  to  be  subdivided,  as  above 
mentioned,  then  this  division  of  Neuroptera  will  be  justifiable 
also. 

Objections  have  often  been  raised  against  the  study  of 
natural  history,  and  many  persons  have  been  discouraged 
from  attempting  it,  on  account  of  the  formidable  array  of 
scientific  names  and  terms  which  it  presents  to  the  beginner ; 
and  some  men  of  mean  and  contracted  minds  have  made 
themselves  merry  at  the  expense  of  naturalists,  and  have 
sought  to  bring  the  writings  of  the  latter  into  contempt,  be- 


ADVANTAGE    OF    TECHNICAL    NAMES.  21 

cause  of  the  scientific  language  and  names  they  were  obliged 
to  employ.  Entomology,  or  the  science  that  treats  of  insects, 
abounds  in  such  names  more  than  any  other  branch  of  natu- 
ral history ;  for  the  different  kinds  of  insects  very  far  out- 
number the  species  in  every  class  of  the  animal,  vegetable, 
and  mineral  kingdoms.  It  is  owing  to  this  excessive  number 

O  O 

of  species,  and  to  the  small  size  and  unobtrusive  character 
of  many  insects,  that  comparatively  very  few  have  received 
any  common  names,  either  in  our  own,  or  in  other  modern 
tongues  :  and  hence  most  of  those  that  have  been  described 

O  ' 

in  works  of  natural  history  are  known  only  by  their  scientific 
names.  The  latter  have  the  advantage  over  other  names  in 
being  intelligible  to  all  well-educated  persons  in  all  parts  of 
the  world ;  while  the  common  names  of  animals  and  plants 
in  our  own  and  other  modern  languages  are  very  limited  in 
their  application,  and  moreover  are  often  misapplied. 

For  example,  the  name  weevil  is  given,  in  this  country,  to 
at  least  six  different  kinds  of  insects,  two  of  which  are  moths, 
two  are  flies,  and  two  are  beetles.  Moreover,  since  nearly 
four  thousand  species  of  weevils  have  actually  been  scientifi- 
cally named  and  described,  when  mention  is  made  of  "  the 
weevil,"  it  may  well  be  a  subject  of  doubt  to  which  of  these 
four  thousand  species  the  speaker  or  writer  intends  to  refer ; 
whereas,  if  the  scientific  name  of  the  species  in  question  were 
made  known,  this  doubt  would  at  once  be  removed.  To  give 
each  of  these  weevils  a  short,  appropriate,  significant,  and 
purely  English  name,  would  be  very  difficult,  if  not  impos- 
sible, and  there  would  be  great  danger  of  overburdening  the 
memory  with  such  a  number  of  names  ;  but,  by  means  of  the 
ingenious  and  simple  method  of  nomenclature  invented  by 
Linnaaus,  these  weevils  are  all  arranged  under  three  hundred 
and  fifty-five  generical,  or  surnames,  requiring  in  addition 
only  a  small  number  of  different  words,  like  Christian  names, 
to  indicate  the  various  species  or  kinds.  There  is  oftentimes 
a  great  convenience  in  the  use  of  single  collective  terms  for 
groups  of  animals  and  plants,  whereby  the  necessity  for  enu- 


22  INTRODUCTION. 

meratiiig  all  the  individual  contents  or  the  characteristics  of 
these  groups  is  avoided.  Thus  the  single  word  Muminantia 
stands  for  camels,  lamas,  giraffes,  deer,  antelopes,  goats,  sheep, 
and  kine,  or  for  all  the  hoofed  quadrupeds  which  ruminate 
or  chew  the  cud,  and  have  no  front  teeth  in  the  upper  jaw ; 
Lepidoptera  includes  ah1  the  various  kinds  of  butterflies,  hawk- 
moths,  and  millers  or  moths,  or  insects  having  wings  covered 
with  branny  scales,  and  a  spiral  tongue  instead  of  jaws,  and 
whose  young  appear  in  the  form  of  caterpillars.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  find  or  invent  any  single  English  words  which 
would  be  at  once  so  convenient  and  so  expressive.  This, 
therefore,  is  an  additional  reason  why  scientific  names  ought 
to  be  preferred  to  all  others,  at  least  in  works  of  natural  his- 
tory, where  it  is  highly  important  that  the  objects  described 
should  have  names  that  are  short,  significant  in  themselves, 
and  not  liable  to  be  mistaken  or  misapplied. 

There  is  no  art,  profession,  trade,  or  occupation,  which  can 
be  taught  or  learned  without  the  use  of  technical  words  or 
phrases  belonging  to  each,  and  which,  to  the  inexperienced: 
and  untaught,  are  as  unintelligible  as  the  terms  of  science. 
It  is  not  at  all  more  difficult  to  learn  and  remember  the  latter 
than  the  former,  when  the  attention  has  been  properly  given 
to  the  subject.  The  seaman,  the  farmer,  and  the  mechanic 
soon  become  familiar  with  the  names  and  phrases  peculiar  to 
their  several  callings,  uncouth,  and  without  apparent  signifi- 
cation, as  many  of  them  are.  So,  too,  the  terms  of  science 
lose  their  forbidding  and  mysterious  appearance  and  sound 
by  the  frequency  of  their  recurrence,  and  finally  become  as 
harmonious  to  the  ear,  as  they  are  clear  and  definite  in  their 
application. 


I 


J^^L 


*  * 


CHAPTEE  II. 

COLEOPTEEA. 

BEETLES.  —  SCARAB^EIANS.  —  GROUND-BEETLES.  —  TREE-BEETLES.  —  COCK- 
CHAFERS OR  MAY-BEETLES.  —  FLOWER-BEETLES.  —  STAG-BEETLES.  —  Bu- 
PRESTIANS,  OR  SAW-HORNED  BORERS.  —  SPRING-BEETLES.  — TIMBER-BEETLES. 
—  WEEVILS.  —  CYLINDRICAL  BARK-BEETLES.  —  CAPRICORN-BEETLES,  OR 
LONG-HORNED  BORERS.  —  LEAF-BEETLES.  —  CRIOCERIANS.  —  LEAF-MINING 
BEETLES.  —  TORTOISE-BEETLES.  —  CHRYSOMELIANS.  —  CANTHARIDES. 

THE  wings  of  beetles  are  covered  and  concealed  by  a  pair 
of  horny  cases  or  shells,  meeting  in  a  straight  line  on 
the  top  of  the  back,  and  usually  having  a  little  triangular  or 
semicircular  piece,  called  the  scutel,  wedged  between  their 
bases.  Hence  the  order  to  which  these  insects  belong  is 
called  COLEOPTERA,  a  word  signifying  wings  in  a  sheath. 
Beetles  *  are  biting-insects,  and  are  provided  with  two  pairs 
of  jaws  moving  side  wise.  Their  young  are  grubs,  and  un- 
dergo a. complete  transformation  in  coming  to  maturity. 

At  the  head  of  this  order  Linnasus  placed  a  group  of 
insects,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  SCAR.AILEUS.  It 
includes  the  largest  and  most  robust  animals  of  the  beetle 
kind,  many  of  them  remarkable  for  the  singularity  of  their 
shape,  and  the  formidable  horn-like  prominences  with  which 
they  are  furnished,  —  together  with  others,  which,  though 
they  do  not  present  the  same  imposing  appearance,  require 
to  be  noticed,  on  account  of  the  injury  sustained  by  vegeta- 
tion from  their  attacks.  An  immense  number  of  Scarabas- 
ians  (SCARAILEIDJS),  as  they  may  be  called,  are  now  known, 
differing  greatly  from  each  other,  not  only  in  structure,  but 

*  Beetle,  in  old  English,  letl,  bytl,  or  bilel,  means  a  biter,  or  insect  that  bites. 


24  COLEOPTERA. 

in  their  habits  in  the  larva  and  adult  states.  They  are  all 
easily  distinguished  by  their  short  movable  horns,  or  anten- 
nae, ending  with  a  knob,  composed  of  three  or  more  leaf-like 
pieces,  which  open  like  the  petals  of  a  flower-bud.  Another 
feature  that  they  possess  in  common  is  the  projecting  ridge 
(clypeu.8)  of  the  forehead,  which  extends  more  or  less  over 
the  face,  like  the  visor  or  brim  of  a  cap,  and  beneath  the 
sides  of  tliis  visor  the  antennae  are  implanted.  Moreover, 
the  legs  of  these  beetles,  particularly  the  first  pair,  are  fitted 
for  digging,  being  deeply  notched  or  furnished  with  several 
strong  teeth  on  the  outer  edges  ;  and  the  feet  are  five-jointed. 
This  very  extensive  family  of  insects  is  subdivided  into  sev- 
eral smaller  groups,  each  composed  of  beetles  distinguished 
by  various  peculiarities  of  structure  and  habits.  Some  live 
mostly  upon  or  beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  were, 
therefore,  called  ground-beetles  by  De  Geer;  some,  in  their 
winged  state,  are  found  on  trees,  the  leaves  of  which  they 
devour,  —  they  are  the  tree-beetles  of  the  same  author ;  and 
others,  during  the  same  period  of  their  lives,  frequent  flowers, 
and  are  called  flower-beetles.  The  ground-beetles,  including 
the  earth-borers  (Greotrupidce),  and  dung-beetles  (Coprididce 
and  Apliodiadce),  which,  in  all  their  states,  are  found  in  excre- 
ment, the  skin-beetles  (Troyidce),  which  inhabit  dried  animal 
substances,  and  the  gigantic  Hercules-beetles  {Dynaatidce), 
which  live  in  rotten  wood  or  beneath  old  dung-heaps,  must 
be  passed  over  without  further  comment.  The  other  groups 
contain  insects  that  are  very  injurious  to  vegetation,  and 
therefore  require  to  be  more  particularly  noticed. 

One  of  the  most  common,  and  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
tree-beetles  of  this  country,  is  the  Areoda  lanigera?  or  woolly 
Areoda,  sometimes  also  called  the  goldsmith-beetle  (Plate 
II.  Fig.  20).  It  is  about  nine  tenths  of  an  inch  in  length, 
broad  oval  in  shape,  of  a  lemon-yellow  color  above,  glittering 

[3  Areoda  lanigera,  now  called  Cotalpa  lanigtra ;  the  genus  Cotalpa,  established 
by  Burmeister,  differs  from  the  true  Areoda  by  not  having  the  last  joint  of  the 
tarsi  armed  beneath  with  au  angular  projection. —  LEC.] 


THE   GOLDSMITH    AND    GRAPE-VINE    BEETLES.      25 

like  burnished  gold  on  the  top  of  the  head  and  thorax ;  the 
under-side  of  the  body  is  copper-colored,  and  thickly  cov- 
ered with  whitish  wool ;  and  the  legs  are  brownish  yellow, 
or  brassy,  shaded  with  green.  These  fine  beetles  begin  to 
appear  in  Massachusetts  about  the  middle  of  May,  and  con- 
tinue generally  till  the  twentieth  of  June.  In  the  morning 
and  evening  twilight  they  come  forth  from  their  retreats, 
and  fly  about  with  a  humming  and  rustling  sound  among 
the  branches  of  trees,  the  tender  leaves  of  which  they  de- 
vour. Pear-trees  are  particularly  subject  to  their  attacks, 
but  the  elm,  hickory,  poplar,  oak;  and  probably  also  other 
kinds  of  trees,  are  frequented  and  injured  by  them.  During 
the  middle  of  the  day  they  remain  at  rest  upon  the  trees, 
clinging  to  the  under-sides  of  the  leaves,  and  endeavor  to 
conceal  themselves  by  drawing  two  or  three  leaves  together, 
and  holding  them  in  this  position  with  their  long  unequal 
claws.  In  some  seasons  they  occur  in  profusion,  and  then 
may  be  obtained  in  great  quantities  by  shaking  the  young 
trees  on  which  they  are  lodged  in  the  daytime,  as  they  do  not 
attempt  to  fly  when  thus  disturbed,  but  fall  at  once  to  the 
ground.  The  larvae  of  these  insects  are  not  known ;  prob- 
ably they  live  in  the  ground  upon  the  roots  of  plants.  The 
group  to  which  the  goldsmith-beetle  belongs  may  be  called 
Rutilians  (RUTILID^E),  from  Rutela,  or  more  correctly  Rutila, 
signifying  shining,  the  name  of  the  principal  genus  included 
in  it.  The  Rutilians  connect  the  ground-beetles  with  the  tree- 
beetles  of  the  following  group,  having  the  short  and  robust 
legs  of  the  former,  with  the  leaf-eating  habits  of  the  latter. 

The  spotted  Pelidnota,  Pelidnota  puno-  Fig  9 

tola  (Fig.  9),  is  also  arranged  among  the 
Rutilians.  This  large  beetle  is  found  on 
the  cultivated  and  wild  grape-vine,  some- 
times in  great  abundance,  during  the 
months  of  July  and  August.  It  is  of  an 
oblong  oval  shape,  and  about  an  inch 
long.  The  wing-covers  are  tile-colored, 
4 


26  COLEOPTERA. 

or  dull  brownish-yellow,  with  three  distinct  black  dots  on 
each  ;  the  thorax  is  darker  and  slightly  bronzed,  with  a  black 
dot  on  each  side ;  the  body  beneath,  and  the  legs,  are  of  a 
deep  bronzed  green  color.  These  beetles  fly  by  day ;  but 
may  also  be  seen  at  the  same  time  on  the  leaves  of  the  grape, 
which  are  their  only  food.  They  sometimes  prove  very  inju- 
rious to  the  vine.  The  only  method  of  destroying  them  is 
to  pick  them  off  by  hand  and  crush  them  under  foot.  The 
larvaB  live  in  rotten  wood,  such  as  the  stumps  and  roots  of 
dead  trees ;  and  do  not  differ  essentially  from  those  of  other 
Scarabasians. 

Among  the  tree-beetles,  those  commonly  called  dors,  chaf- 
ers, May-bugs,  and  rose-bugs,  are  the  most  interesting  to  the 
farmer  and  gardener,  on  account  of  their  extensive  ravages, 
both  in  the  winged  and  larva  states.  They  were  included  by 
Fabricius  in  the  genus  Melolontha,  a  word  used  by  the  ancient 
Greeks  to  distinguish  the  same  kind  of  insects,  which  were 
supposed  by  them  to  be  produced  from  or  with  the  flowers 
of  apple-trees,  as  the  name  itself  implies.  These  beetles, 
together  with  many  others,  for  which  no  common  names  exist 
in  our  language,  are  now  united  in  one  family  called  MELO- 
LONTHAD^E,  or  Melolonthians.  The  following  are  the  general 
characters  of  these  insects.  The  body  is  oblong  oval,  con- 
vex, and  generally  of  a  brownish  color ;  the  antennas  are  nine 
or  more  commonly  ten  jointed,  the  knob  is  much  longer  in 
the  males  than  in  the  females,  and  consists  generally  of  three 
leaf-like  pieces,  sometimes  of  a  greater  number,  which  open 
and  shut  like  the  leaves  of  a  book ;  the  visor  is  short  and 
wide  ;  the  upper  jaws  are  furnished  at  the  base  on  the  inner 
side  with  an  oval  space,  crossed  by  ridges,  like  a  millstone, 
for  grinding ;  the  thorax  is  transversely  square,  or  nearly  so  ; 
the  wing-cases  do  not  cover  the  whole  of  the  body,  the  hinder 
extremity  of  which  is  exposed ;  the  legs  are  rather  long,  the 
first  pair  armed  externally  with  two  or  three  teeth ;  and  the 
claws  are  notched  beneath,  or  are  split  at  the  end  like  the 
nib  of  a  pen.  The  powerful  and  horny  jaws  are  admirably 


HABITS    OF    THE    COCKCHAFER.  27 

fitted  for  cutting  and  grinding  the  leaves  of  plants,  upon 
which  these  beetles  subsist ;  their  notched  or  double  claws 
support  them  securely  on  the  foliage ;  and  their  strong  and 
jagged  fore-legs,  being  formed  for  digging  in  the  ground, 
point  out  the  place  of  their  transformations. 

The  habits  and  transformations  of  the  common  cockchafer 
of  Europe  have  been  carefully  observed,  and  will  serve  to 
exemplify  those  of  the  other  insects  of  this  family,  which,  as 
far  as  they  are  known,  seem  to  be  nearly  the  same.  This 
insect  devours  the  leaves  of  trees  and  shrubs.  Its  duration 
in  the  perfect  state  is  very  short,  each  individual  living  only 
about  a  week,  and  the  species  entirely  disappearing  in  the 
course  of  a  month.  After  the  sexes  have  paired,  the  males 
perish,  and  the  females  enter  the  earth  to  the  depth  of  six 
inches  or  more,  making  their  way  by  means  of  the  strong 
teeth  which  arm  the  fore-legs ;  here  they  deposit  their  eggs, 
amounting,  according  to  some  writers,  to  nearly  one  hundred, 
or,  as  others  assert,  to  two  hundred  from  each  female,  which 
are  abandoned  by  the  parent,  who  generally  ascends  again  to 
the  surface,  and  perishes  in  a  short  time. 

From  the  eggs  are  hatched,  in  the  space  of  fourteen  days, 
little  whitish  grubs,  each  provided  with  six  legs  near  the 
head,  and  a  mouth  furnished  with  strong  jaws.  When  in  a 
state  of  rest,  these  grubs  usually  curl  themselves  in  the  shape 
of  a  crescent.  They  subsist  on  the  tender  roots  of  various 
plants,  committing  ravages  among  these  vegetable  substances, 
on  some  occasions  of  the  most  deplorable  kind,  so  as  totally 
to  disappoint  the  best-founded  hopes  of  the  husbandman. 
During  the  summer  they  live  under  the  thin  coat  of  vegeta- 
ble mould  near  the  surface,  but,  as  winter  approaches,  they 
descend  below  the  reach  of  frost,  and  remain  torpid  until  the 
succeeding  spring,  at  which  time  they  change  their  skins,  and 
reascend  to  the  surface  for  food.  At  the  close  of  their  third 
summer  (or,  as  some  say,  of  the  fourth  or  fifth)  they  cease 
eating,  and  penetrate  about  two  feet  deep  into  the  earth  ; 
there,  by  its  motions  from  side  to  side,  each  grub  forms  an 


28  COLEOPTERA. 

oval  cavity,  which  is  lined  by  some  glutinous  substance 
thrown  from  its  mouth.  In  this  cavity  it  is  changed  to  a 
pupa  by  casting  off  its  skin.  In  tliis  state,  the  legs,  antennae, 
and  wing-cases  of  the  future  beetle  are  visible  through  the 
transparent  skin  which  envelops  them,  but  appear  of  a  yel- 
lowish-white color;  and  thus  it  remains  until  the  month  of 
February,  when  the  thin  film  which  encloses  the  body  is  rent, 
and  three  months  afterwards  the  perfected  beetle  digs  its  way 
to  the  surface,  from  which  it  finally  emerges  during  the  night. 
According  to  Kirby  and  Spence,  the  grubs  of  the  cockchafer 
sometimes  destroy  whole  acres  of  grass  by  feeding  on  its 
roots.  They  undermine  the  richest  meadows,  and  so  loosen 
the  turf  that  it  will  roll  up  as  if  cut  by  a  turfing  spade.  They 
do  not  confine  themselves  to  grass,  but  eat  the  roots  of  wheat, 
of  other  grains,  and  also  those  of  young  trees.  About  seventy 
years  ago,  a  former  near  Norwich,  in  England,  suffered  much 
by  them,  and,  with  his  man,  gathered  eighty  bushels  of  the 
beetles.  In  the  year  1785  many  provinces  in  France  were 
so  ravaged  by  them,  that  a  premium  was  offered  by  govern- 
ment for  the  best  mode  of  destroying  them.  The  Society  of 
Arts  in  London,  during  many  years,  held  forth  a  premium 
for  the  best  account  of  this  insect,  and  the  means  of  check- 
ing its  ravages,  but  without  having  produced  one  successful 
claimant. 

In  their  winged  state,  these  beetles,  with  several  other 
species,  act  as  conspicuous  a  part  in  injuring  the  trees  as 
the  grubs  do  in  destroying  the  herbage.  During  the  month 
of  May  they  come  forth  from  the  ground,  whence  they  have 
received  the  name  of  May-bugs,  or  May-beetles.  They  pass 
the  greater  part  of  the  day  upon  trees,  clinging  to  the  under- 
sides of  the  leaves,  in  a  state  of  repose.  As  soon  as  evening 
approaches,  they  begin  to  buzz  about  among  the  branches, 
and  continue  on  the  wing  till  towards  midnight.  In  their 
droning  flight  they  move  very  irregularly,  darting  hither  and 
thither  with  an  uncertain  aim,  hitting  against  objects  in  their 
way  with  a  force  that  often  causes  them  to  fall  to  the  ground. 


FOOD    OF    ANIMALS    AND    BIRDS.  29 

They  frequently  enter  houses  in  the  night,  apparently  attract- 
ed, as  well  as  dazzled  and  bewildered,  by  the  lights.  Their 
vagaries,  in  which,  without  having  the  power  to  harm,  they 
seem  to  threaten  an  attack,  have  caused  them  to  be  called 
dors,  —  that  is,  darers  ;  while  their  seeming  blindness  and 
stupidity  have  become  proverbial,  in  the  expressions,  "  blind 
as  a  beetle,"  and  "  beetle-headed." 

Besides  the  leaves  of  fruit-trees,  they  devour  those  of 
various  forestntrees  and  shrubs,  with  an  avidity  not  much 
less  than  that  of  the  locust,  so  that,  in  certain  seasons,  and 
in  particular  districts,  they  become  an  oppressive  scourge, 
and  the  source  of  much  misery  to  the  inhabitants.  Mouffet 
relates  that,  in  the  year  1574,  such  a  number  of  them  fell 
into  the  river  Severn  as  to  stop  the  wheels  of  the  water-mills  ; 
and,  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions,  it  is  stated,  that  in 
the  year  1688  they  filled  the  hedges  and  trees  of  Galway, 
in  such  infinite  numbers  as  to  cling  to  each  other  like  bees 
when  swarming ;  and,  when  on  the  wing,  darkened  the  air, 
annoyed  travellers,  and  produced  a  sound  like  distant  drums. 
In  a  short  time  the  leaves  of  all  the  trees,  for  some  miles 
round,  were  so  totally  consumed  by  them,  that  at  midsummer 
the  country  wore  the  aspect  of  the  depth  of  winter. 

Another  chafer,  Anomala  vitis  F.  is  sometimes  exceedingly 
injurious  to  the  vine.  It  prevails  in  certain  provinces  of 
France,  where  it  strips  the  vines  of  their  leaves,  and  also 
devours  those  of  the  willow,  poplar,  and  fruit-trees. 

The  animals  and  birds  appointed  to  check  the  ravages  of 
these  insects  are,  according  to  Latreille,  the  badger,  weasel, 
marten,  bats,  rats,  the  common  dung-hill  fowl,  and  the  goat- 
sucker or  night-hawk.  To  this  list  may  be  added  the  com- 
mon crow,  which  devours  not  only  the  perfect  insects,  but 
their  larvas,  for  which  purpose  it  is  often  observed  to  follow 
the  plough.  In  "  Anderson's  Recreations  "  it  is  stated,  that 
"  a  cautious  observer,  having  found  a  nest  of  five  young  jays, 
remarked  that  each  of  these  birds,  while  yet  very  young, 
consumed  at  least  fifteen  of  these  full-sized  grubs  in  one  day, 


30  COLEOPTERA. 

and  of  course  would  require  many  more  of  a  smaller  size. 
Say  that,  on  an  average  of  sizes,  they  consumed  twenty 
apiece,  these  for  the  five  make  one  hundred.  Each  of  the 
parents  consume  say  fifty ;  so  that  the  pair  and  family  devour 
two  hundred  every  day.  This,  in  three  months,  amounts  to 
twenty  thousand  in  one  season.  But  as  the  grub  continues 
in  that  state  four  seasons,  this  single  pair,  with  their  family 
alone,  without  reckoning  their  descendants  after  the  first 
year,  would  destroy  eighty  thousand  grubs.  Let  us  suppose 
that  the  half,  namely,  forty  thousand,  are  females,  and  it  is 
known  that  they  usually  lay  about  two  hundred  eggs  each, 
it  will  appear,  that  no  less  than  eight  millions  have  been 
destroyed,  or  prevented  from  being  hatched,  by  the  labors  of 
a  single  family  of  jays.  It  is  by  reasoning  in  this  way,  that 
we  learn  to  know  of  what  importance  it  is  to  attend  to  the 
economy  of  nature,  and  to  be  cautious  how  we  derange  it  by 
our  short-sighted  and  futile  operations."  Our  own  country 
abounds  with  insect>-eating  beasts  and  birds,  and  without 
doubt  the  more  than  abundant  Melolonthse  form  a  portion 
of  their  nourishment. 

We  have  several  Melolonthians  whose  injuries  in  the  perfect 
and  grub  state  approach  to  those  of  the  Eu- 
ropean cockchafer.  Phyllophaga  *  quercina  of 
Knoch,  the  May-beetle,  as  it  is  generally 
called  here,  is  our  common  species.  (Fig. 
10.)  It  is  of  a  chestnufr-brown  color,  smooth, 
but  finely  punctured,  that  is,  covered  with 
little  impressed  dots,  as  if  pricked  with  the 
point  of  a  needle ;  each  wing-case  has  two  or 

*  A  genus  proposed  by  me  in  1826.  It  signifies  leaf-eater.  Dejean  subse- 
quently called  this  genus  Ancylonycha.* 

['  The  genus  Phyllnphaga  was  indeed  proposed  by  Dr.  Harris,  but  wns  not 
accompanied  by  any  description;  it  must  therefore  yield  to  the  name  Lnchnoslerna 
of  Hope,  described  in  1837.  Burmeister  has  improperly  adopted  for  the  genus  the 
name  given  by  Dejean,  but  which  was  not  sanctioned  by  a  description  until  1845. 
It  is  a  very  numerous  genus,  and  many  of  the  species  resemble  each  other  very 
closely.  —  LEO.] 


DESTRUCTION    OF    THE    MAY-BEETLE.  31 

three  slightly  elevated  longitudinal  lines  ;  the  breast  is  clothed 
with  yellowish  down.  The  knob  of  its  antennae  contains 
only  three  leaf-like  joints.  Its  average  length  is  nine  tenths 
of  an  inch.  In  its  perfect  state  it  feeds  on  the  leaves  of  trees, 
particularly  on  those  of  the  cherry-tree.  It  flies  with  a  hum- 
ming noise  in  the  night,  from  the  middle  of  May  to  the  end 
of  June,  and  frequently  enters  houses,  attracted  by  the  light. 
In  the  course  of  the  spring,  these  beetles  are  often  thrown 
from  the  earth  by  the  spade  and  plough,  in  various  states  of 
maturity,  some  being  soft  and  nearly  white,  their  supera- 
bundant juices  not  having  evaporated,  while  others  exhibit  the 
true  color  and  texture  of  the  perfect  insect.  The  grubs  de- 
vour the  roots  of  grass  and  of  other  plants,  and  in  many 
places  the  turf  may  be  turned  up  like  a  carpet  in  consequence 
of  the  destruction  of  the  roots.  The  grub*  is  a  white  worm 
with  a  brownish  head,  and,  when  fully  grown,  is  nearly  as 
thick  as  the  little  finger.  It  is  eaten  greedily  by  crows  and 
fowls.  The  beetles  are  devoured  by  the  skunk,  whose  bene- 
ficial foraging  is  detected  in  our  gardens  by  its  abundant  ex- 
crement filled  with  the  wing-cases  of  these  insects. 

A  writer  in  the  "  New  York  Evening  Post "  says,  that  the 
beetles,  which  frequently  commit  serious  ravages  on  fruit- 
trees,  may  be  effectually  exterminated  by  shaking  them  from 
the  trees  every  evening.  In  this  way  two  pailfuls  of  beetles 
were  collected  on  the  first  experiment;  the  number  caught 
regularly  decreased  until  the  fifth  evening,  when  only  two 
beetles  were  to  be  found.  The  best  time,  however,  for  shak- 
ing trees  on  which  the  May-beetles  are  lodged,  is  in  the 
morning,  when  the  insects  do  not  attempt  to  fly.  They  are 
most  easily  collected  in  a  cloth  spread  under  the  trees  to  re- 
ceive them  when  they  fall,  after  which  they  should  be  thrown 
into  boiling  water  to  kill  them,  and  may  then  be  given  as 
food  to  swine. 

*  There  is  a  grub,  somewhat  resembling  this,  which  is  frequently  found  under 
old  manure-heaps,  and  is  commonly  called  muck-worm.  It  differs,  however,  in 
some  respects,  from  that  of  the  May-beetle,  or  dor-bug,  and  is  transformed  to  a 
dung-beetle  called  Scarabasus  relictus  by  Mr.  Say. 


32 


COLEOPTERA. 


There  is  an  undescribed  kind  of  Pliyllophaya,  or  leaf-eater, 
called,  in  my  Catalogue  of  the  Insects  of  Massachusetts,*  fra- 
terna,  because  it  is  nearly  akin  to  the  quercina,  in  general 
appearance.  It  differs  from  the  latter,  however,  in  being 
smaller,  and  more  slender ;  the  punctures  on  its  thorax  and 
wing-covers  are  not  so  distinct,  and  the  three  elevated  lines 
on  the  latter  are  hardly  visible.  It  measures  thirteen 
twentieths  of  an  inch  in  length.  This  beetle  may  be  seen 
in  the  latter  part  of  June  and  the  beginning  of  July.  Its 
habits  are  similar  to  those  of  the  more  abundant  May-beetle 
or  dor-bug. 

Another  common  Phyllophaga  has  been  described  by  Knoch 

and  Say,  under  the  name  of  hirticula  (Fig. 

,  >          11),  meaning  a  little  hairy.     It  is  of  a  bay- 

%i  u  j>£  brown  color,  the  punctures  on  the  thorax 

Hp|l  are  larger   and  more  distinct  than  in  the 

^H^m.  quercina,  and  on  each  wing-cover  are  three 

jfH    B\         longitudinal  rows  of  short,  yellowish  hairs. 

•~    JUHR  ^      I*  measures  about  seven  tenths  of  an  inch 

jp  \         in   length.      Its  time  of  appearance   is   in 

A  X        June  and  July. 

In  some  parts  of  Massachusetts  the  Phyl- 
lophaga Creorgicana  (Fig.  12)  of  Gyllenhall, 
or  Georgian  leaf-eater,  takes  the  place  of  the 
quercina.     It  is  extremely  common,  during 
May  and  June,  in   Cambridge,  where  the 
other  species  is  rarely  seen.     It  is  of  a  bay- 
brown  color,  entirely  covered  on  the  upper 
f^^  \       side  with  very  short,  yellowish  gray  hairs, 
j      and  measures  seven  tenths  of  an  inch,  or 
more,  in  length. 

*  In  order  to  save  unnecessary  repetitions,  it  may  be  well  to  state,  that  the 
Catalogue  above  named,  to  which  frequent  reference  will  be  made  in  the  course 
of  this  treatise,  was  drawn  up  by  me,  and  was  published  in  Professor  Hitchcock's 
Report  on  the  Geology,  Mineralogy,  Botany,  and  Zoology  of  Massachusetts,  and 
that  two  editions  of  it  appeared  with  the  Report,  the  first  in  1833,  and  the  sec- 
ond, with  numerous  additions,  in  1835. 


Fig.  12. 


POLYPHYLLA    VARIOLOSA. 


33 


Fig.  14. 


Phyllophaga  pilosicollis  (Fig.  13)  of  Enoch,  or  the  hairy- 
necked  leaf-eater,  is  a  small  chafer,  of  an  rig  13 
ochre-yellow  color,  with  a  very  hairy  tho- 
rax.    It  is  often  thrown  out  of  the  ground 
by  the  spade,  early  in  the  spring ;  but  it 
does    not   voluntarily  come   forth   till   the 
middle  of  May.     It  measures  half  an  inch 
in  length. 

Hentz's  Melolontha  variolosa*  (Fig.  14), 
or  scarred  Melolontha,  differs  essentially 
from  the  foregoing  beetles  in  the  structure 

O  O 

of  its  antennae,  the  knob  of  which  consists 

of  seven  narrow,  strap-shaped  ochre-yellow 

leaves,  which  are  excessively  long  in  the 

males.     This  fine  insect  is  of  a  light  brown 

color,  with  irregular  whitish  blotches,  like 

scars,  on  the  thorax  and  wing-covers.     It 

measures  nine  tenths  of  an  inch,  or  more, 

in  length.     It  occurs  abundantly,  in  the  month  of  July,  at 

Martha's  Vineyard,  and  in  some  other  places  near  the  coast ; 

but  is  rare  in  other  parts  of  Massachusetts. 

The  foregoing  Melolonthians  are  found  in  gardens,  nur- 
series, and  orchards,  where  they  are  more  or  less  injurious 
to  the  fruit-trees,  in  proportion  to  their  numbers  in  different 
seasons.  They  also  devour  the  leaves  of  various  forest-trees, 
such  as  the  elm,  maple,  and  oak. 

Omaloplia5  vespertina  (Plate  II.  Fig.  14)  of  Gyllenhal,  and 
sericea  of  Illiger,  attack  the  leaves  of  the  sweetbrier,  or  sweet- 

O         7  7 

leaved  rose,  on  which  they  may  be  found  in  profusion  in  the 
evening,  about  the  last  of  June.  They  somewhat  resemble 
the  May-beetles  in  form,  but  are  proportionally  shorter  and 

[4  Melolontha  variolosa.  This  insect  belongs  to  the  genus  Polyphylla,  proposed 
by  Dr.  Harris,  and  now  adopted  by  all  entomologists.  —  LEC.] 

[5  Omaloplia.     The  species  here  mentioned,  with  all  the  other  allied  American 
species,  belong  rather  to  Serica  of  M'Leay,  than  to  true  Omaloplia,  which  is  thus 
far  confined  to  the  other  continent.  —  LEC.] 
5 


34  COLEOPTERA. 

thicker,  and  much  smaller  in  size.  The  first  of  them,  the 
vespertine  or  evening  Omaloplia,  is  bay-brown  ;  the  wing- 
covers  are  marked  with  many  longitudinal  shallow  furrows, 
which,  with  the  thorax,  are  thickly  punctured.  This  beetle 
varies  in  length  from  three  to  four  tenths  of  an  inch.  Oma- 

O 

loplia  serieea,  the  silky  Omaloplia,  closely  resembles  the  pre- 
ceding in  everything  but  its  color,  which  is  a  very  deep 
chestnut-brown,  iridescent  or  changeable  like  satin,  and  re- 
flecting the  colors  of  the  rainbow. 

All  these  Melolonthians  are  nocturnal  insects,  never  ap- 
pearing, except  by  accident,  in  the  day,  during  which  they 
remain  under  shelter  of  the  foliage  of  trees  and  shrubs,  or 
concealed  in  the  grass.  Others  are  truly  day-fliers,  commit- 
ting their  ravages  by  the  light  of  the  sun,  and  are  conse- 
quently exposed  to  observation. 

One  of  our  diurnal  Melolonthians  is  supposed  by  many  nat- 
uralists  to  be  the  Anomala  varians  (Fig.  15) 
of  Fabricius ;  and  it  agrees  very  well  with 
this  writer's  description  of  the  lucicola;  but 
Professor  Germar  thinks  it  to  be  an  unde- 
scribed  species,  and  proposes  to  name  it  cce- 
lebs.  It  resembles  the  vine-chafer  of  Europe 
in  its  habits,  and  is  found  in  the  months  ol 
June  and  July  on  the  cultivated  and  wild 
grape-vines,  the  leaves  of  which  it  devours.  During  the  same 
period,  these  chafers  may  be  seen  in  still  greater  numbers  on 
various  kinds  of  sumach,  which  they  often  completely  despoil 
of  their  leaves.  They  are  of  a  broad  oval  shape,  and  very 
variable  in  color.  The  head  and  thorax  of  the  male  are 
greenish  black,  margined  with  dull  ochre  or  tile-red,  and 
thickly  punctured  ;  the  wing-covers  are  clay-yellow,  irregu- 
larly ftirrowed,  and  punctured  in  the  furrows ;  the  legs  are 
pale  red,  brown,  or  black.  The  thorax  of  the  female  is  clay- 
yellow,  or  tile-red,  sometimes  with  two  oblique  blackish  spots 
on  the  top,  and  sometimes  almost  entirely  black ;  the  wing- 
covers  resemble  those  of  the  male ;  the  legs  are  clay-yellow, 


THE    COMMON    ROSE-CHAFER.  35 

or  light  red.  The  males  are  sometimes  entirely  black,  and 
this  variety  seems  to  be  the  beetle  called  atrata,  by  Fabricius. 
The  males  measure  nearly,  and  the  females  rather  more  than 
seven  twentieths  of  an  inch  in  length.  In  the  year  1825, 
these  insects  appeared  on  the  grape-vines  in  a  garden  in  this 
vicinity ;  they  have  since  established  themselves  on  the  spot, 
and  have  so  much  multiplied  in  subsequent  years  as  to  prove 
exceedingly  hurtful  to  the  vines.  In  many  other  gardens 
they  have  also  appeared,  having  probably  found  the  leaves  of 
the  cultivated  grape-vine  more  to  their  taste  than  then-  natu- 
ral food.  Should  these  beetles  increase  in  numbers,  they  will 
be  found  as  difficult  to  check  and  extirpate  as  the  destructive 
vine-chafers  of  Europe. 

The  rose-chafer,  or  rose-bug,  as  it  is  more  commonly  and 
incorrectly  called,  is  also  a  diurnal  insect.  It  is  the  Rg  16 
Meloloniha  subspinosa  (Fig.  16)  of  Fabricius,  by 
whom  it  was  first  described,  and  belongs  to  the 
modern  genus  Macrodactylm  of  Latreille.  Common 
as  this  insect  is  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  it  is,  or 
was  a  few  years  ago,  unknown  in  the  northern  and 
western  parts  of  Massachusetts,  in  New  Hampshire,  and  in 
Maine.  It  may,  therefore,  be  well  to  give  a  brief  description 
of  it.  This  beetle  measures  seven  twentieths  of  an  inch  in 
length.  Its  body  is  slender,  tapers  before  and  behind,  and 
is  entirely  covered  with  very  short  and  close  ashen-yellow 
down ;  the  thorax  is  long  and  narrow,  angularly  widened  in 
the  middle  of  each  side,  which  suggested  the  name  subspi- 
no8a,  or  somewhat  spined  ;  the  legs  are  slender,  and  of  a 
pale  red  color  :  the  joints  of  the  feet  are  tipped  with  black, 
and  are  very  long,  which  caused  Latreille  to  call  the  genus 
Macrodactylus,  that  is,  long  toe,  or  long  foot. 

The  natural  history  of  the  rose-chafer,  one  of  the  greatest 
scourges  with  which  our  gardens  and  nurseries  have  been 
afflicted,  was  for  a  long  time  involved  in  mystery,  but  is  at 
last  fully  cleared  up.*  The  prevalence  of  this  insect  on  the 

*  See  my  Essay  in  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Repository  and  Journal 


36  COLEOPTERA. 

rose,  and  its  annual  appearance  coinciding  with  the  blossom- 
ing of  that  flower,  have  gained  for  it  the  popular  name  by 
which  it  is  here  known.  For  some  time  after  they  were  first 
noticed,  rose-bugs  appeared  to  be  confined  to  their  favorite, 
the  blossoms  of  the  rose  ;  but  within  forty  years  they  have 
prodigiously  increased  in  number,  have  attacked  at  random 
various  kinds  of  plants  in  swarms,  and  have  become  notorious 
for  their  extensive  and  deplorable  ravages.  The  grape-vine 
in  particular,  the  cherry,  plum,  and  apple  trees,  have  annu- 
ally suffered  by  their  depredations  ;  many  other  fruit-trees 
and  shrubs,  garden  vegetables  and  corn,  and  even  the  trees 
of  the  forest  and  the  grass  of  the  fields,  have  been  laid  under 
contribution  by  these  indiscriminate  feeders,  by  whom  leaves, 
flowers,  and  fruits  are  alike  consumed.  The  unexpected 
arrival  of  these  insects  in  swarms,  at  their  first  coming,  and 

O7 

then*  sudden  disappearance  at  the  close  of  their  career,  are 
remarkable  facts  in  their  history.  They  come  forth  from 
the  ground  during  the  second  week  in  June,  or  about  the 
time  of  the  blossoming  of  the  damask  rose,  and  remain  from 
thirty  to  forty  days.  At  the  end  of  this  period  the  males 
become  exhausted,  fall  to  the  ground  and  perish,  while  the 
females  enter  the  earth,  lay  their  eggs,  return  to  the  surface, 
and,  after  lingering  a  few  days,  die  also. 

The  eggs  laid  by  each  female  are  about  thirty  in  number, 
and  are  deposited  from  one  to  four  inches  beneath  the  sur- 
face of  the  soil ;  they  are  nearly  globular,  whitish,  and  about 
one  thirtieth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  are  hatched  twenty 
days  after  they  are  laid.  The  young  larvse  begin  to  feed  on 
such  tender  roots  as  are  within  their  reach.  Like  other 
grubs  of  the  Scaraba3ians,  when  not  eating  they  lie  upon 
the  side,  with  the  body  curved,  so  that  the  head  and  tail 

Vol.  X.  p.  8,  reprinted  in  the  New  England  Farmer,  Vol.  VI.  p.  18,  &c. ;  my  Dis- 
course before  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  p.  31,  8vo,  Cambridge, 
1832;  Dr.  Green's  communication  on  this  insect  in  the  New  England  Farmer 
Vol.  VI.  pp.  41,  49,  &c. ;  my  Report  on  Insects  Injurious  to  Vegetation,  in  Massa- 
chusetts House  Document,  No.  72,  April,  1838,  p.  70;  and  a  communication  in  the 
New  England  Farmer.  Vol.  IX.  p  1. 


THE    COMMON    ROSE-CHAFER.  37 

are  nearly  in  contact ;  they  move  with  difficulty  on  a  level 
surface,  and  are  continually  falling  over  on  one  side  or  the 
other.  They  attain  their  full  size  in  the  autumn,  being  then 
nearly  three  quarters  of  an  inch  long,  and  about  an  eighth 
of  an  inch  in  diameter.  They  are  of  a  yellowish-white 
color,  with  a  tinge  of  blue  towards  the  hinder  extremity, 
which  is  thick,  and  obtuse  or  rounded ;  a  few  short  hairs  are 
scattered  on  the  surface  of  the  body  ;  there  are  six  short  legs, 
namely,  a  pair  to  each  of  the  first,  three  rings  behind  the 
head,  and  the  latter  is  covered  with  a  horny  shell  of  a  pale 
rust  color.  In  October  they  descend  below  the  reach  of  frost, 
and  pass  the  winter  in  a  torpid  state.  In  the  spring  they 
approach  towards  the  surface,  and  each  one  forms  for  itself 
a  little  cell  of  an  oval  shape,  by  turning  round  a  great  many 
times,  so  as  to  compress  the  earth  and  render  the  inside  of 
the  cavity  hard  and  smooth.  Within  this  cell  the  grub  is 
transformed  to  a  pupa,  during  the  month  of  May,  by  casting 
off  its  skin,  which  is  pushed  downwards  in  folds  from  the  head 
to  the  tail.  The  pupa  has  somewhat  the  form  of  the  per- 
fected beetle ;  but  it  is  of  a  yellowish-white  color,  and  its 
short  stump-like  wings,  its  antennae,  and  its  legs  are  folded 
upon  the  breast ;  and  its  whole  body  is  enclosed  in  a  thin 
film,  that  wraps  each  part  separately.  During  the  month  of 
June  this  filmy  skin  is  rent,  the  included  beetle  withdraws 
from  its  body  and  its  limbs,  bursts  open  its  earthen  cell,  and 
digs  its  way  to  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Thus  the  various 
changes,  from  the  egg  to  the  full  development  of  the  per- 
fected beetle,  are  completed  within  the  space  of  one  year. 

Such  being  the  metamorphoses  and  habits  of  these  insects, 
it  is  evident  that  we  cannot  attack  them  in  the  egg,  the  grub, 
or  the  pupa  state ;  the  enemy  in  these  stages  is  beyond  our 
reach,  and  is  subject  to  the  control  only  of  the  natural  but 
unknown  means  appointed  by  the  Author  of  Nature  to  keep 
the  insect  tribes  in  check.  When  they  have  issued  from 
their  subterranean  retreats,  and  have  congregated  upon  our 
vines,  trees,  and  other  vegetable  productions,  in  the  complete 


38  COLEOPTERA. 

enjoyment  of  their  propensities,  we  must  unite  our  efforts  to 
seize  and  crush  the  invaders.  They  must  indeed  be  crushed, 
scalded,  or  burned,  to  deprive  them  of  life,  for  they  are  not 
affected  by  any  of  the  applications  usually  found  destructive 
to  other  insects.  Experience  has  proved  the  utility  of  gather- 
ing them  by  hand,  or  of  shaking  them  or  brushing  them  from 
the  plants  into  tin  vessels  containing  a  little  water.  They 
should  be  collected  daily  during  the  period  of  their  visitation, 
and  should  be  committed  to  the  flames  or  killed  by  scalding 
water.  The  late  John  Lowell,  Esq.,  states,*  that  in  1823  he 
discovered,  on  a  solitary  apple-tree,  the  rose-bugs  "  in  vast 
numbers,  such  as  could  not  be  described,  and  would  not  be 
believed  if  they  were  described,  or,  at  least,  none  but  an 
ocular  witness  could  conceive  of  their  numbers.  Destruction 
by  hand  was  out  of  the  question,"  in  this  case.  He  put 
sheets  under  the  tree,  and  shook  them  down,  and  burned 
them. 

Dr.  Green,  of  Mansfield,  whose  investigations  have  thrown 
much  light  on  the  history  of  this  insect,  proposes  protecting 
plants  with  millinet,  and  says  that  in  this  way  only  did  he 
succeed  in  securing  his  grape-vines  from  depredation.  His 
remarks  also  show  the  utility  of  gathering  them.  "  Eighty- 
six  of  these  spoilers,"  says  he,  "  were  known  to  infest  a 
single  rose-bud,  and  were  crushed  with  one  grasp  of  the 
hand."  Suppose,  as  was  probably  the  case,  that  one  half 
of  them  were  females ;  by  this  destruction,  eight  hundred 
eggs,  at  least,  were  prevented  from  becoming  matured. 
During  the  time  of  their  prevalence,  rose-bugs  are  some- 
times found  in  immense  numbers  on  the  flowers  of  the  com- 
mon white-weed,  or  ox-eye  daisy  (  Chrysanthemum  leucanthe- 
mum),  a  worthless  plant,  which  has  come  to  us  from  Europe, 
and  has  been  suffered  to  overrun  our  pastures  and  encroach 
on  our  mowing-lands.  In  certain  cases  it  may  become  expe- 
dient rapidly  to  mow  down  the  infested  white-weed  in  dry 

*  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Repository,  Vol.  IX.  p.  145. 


THE    FLOWER-BEETLES.  39 

pastures,  and  consume  it,  with  the  sluggish  rose-buds,  on 
the  spot. 

Our  insect-eating  birds  undoubtedly  devour  many  of  these 
insects,  and  deserve  to  be  cherished  and  protected  for  their 
services.  Rose-bugs  are  also  eaten  greedily  by  domesticated 
fowls ;  and  when  they  become  exhausted  and  fall  to  the 
ground,  or  when  they  are  about  to  lay  their  eggs,  they  are 
destroyed  by  moles,  insects,  and  other  animals,  which  lie  in 
wait  to  seize  them.  Dr.  Green  informs  us,  that  a  species  of 
dragon-fly,  or  devil's-needle,  devours  them.  He  also  says 
that  an  insect,  which  he  calls  the  enemy  of  the  cut-worm, 
probably  the  larva  of  a  Carabus  or  predaceous  ground-beetle, 
preys  on  the  grubs  of  the  common  dor-bug.  '  In  France  the 
golden  ground-beetle  (C'arabus  auratus) •  devours  the  female 
dor  or  chafer  at  the  moment  when  she  is  about  to  deposit  her 
eggs.  I  have  taken  one  specimen  of  this  fine  ground-beetle 
in  Massachusetts,  and  we  have  several  other  kinds,  equally 
predaceous,  which  probably  contribute  to  check  the  increase 
of  our  native  Melolonthians. 

Very  few  of  the  flower-beetles  are  decidedly  injurious  to 
vegetation.  Some  of  them  are  said  to  eat  leaves ;  but  the 
greater  number  live  on  the  pollen  and  the  honey  of  flowers, 
or  upon  the  sap  that  oozes  from  the  wounds  of  plants.  In 
the  infant  or  grub  state,  most  of  them  eat  only  the  crumbled 
substance  of  decayed  roots  and  stumps  ;  a  few  live  in  the 
wounds  of  trees,  and  by  their  depredations  prevent  them 
from  healing,  and  accelerate  the  decay  of  the  trunk. 

The  flower-beetles  belong  chiefly  to  a  group  called  CETO- 
NIAD^E,  or  Cetonians.  They  are  easily  distinguished  from  the 
other  Scarabaeians  by  their  lower  jaws,  which  are  generally 
soft  on  the  inside,  and  are  often  provided  with  a  flat  brush  of 
hairs,  that  serves  to  collect  the  pollen  and  juices  on  which 
they  subsist.  Their  upper  jaws  have  no  grinding  plate  on 
the  inside.  Their  antennae  consist  of  ten  joints,  the  last  three 
of  which  form  a  three-leaved  oval  knob.  The  head  is  often 
square,  with  a  large  and  wide  visor,  overhanging  and  entirely 


40  COLEOPTERA. 

concealing  the  upper  lip.  The  thorax  is  either  rounded,  some- 
what square,  or  triangular.  The  wing-cases  do  not  cover 
the  end  of  the  body..  The  fore  legs  are  deeply  notched  on 
the  outer  edge ;  and  the  claws  are  equal  and  entire.  These 
beetles  are  generally  of  an  oblong  oval  form,  somewhat  flat- 
tened above,  and  often  brilliantly  colored  and  highly  polished, 
sometimes  also  covered  with  hairs.  Most  of  the  bright- 
colored  kinds  are  day-fliers  ;  those  of  dark  and  plain  tints 
are  generally  nocturnal  beetles.  Some  of  them  are  of  im- 
mense size,  and  have  been  styled  the  princes  of  the  beetle 
tribes  ;  such  are  the  Incas  of  South  America,  and  the  Goliah 
beetle  (Hegemon  Groliatus)  of  Guinea,  the  latter  being  more 
than  four  inches  long,  two  inches  broad,  and  thick  and  heavy 
in  proportion.  • 

Two  American  Cetonians  must  suffice  as  examples  in  this 
Fig.  17.      group.     The  first  is  the  Indian  Cetonia,  Cetonia 

«Inda  *  (Fig.  17),  one  of  our  earliest  visitors  in 
the  spring,  making  its  appearance  towards  the  end 
of  April  or  the  beginning  of  May,  when  it  may 
sometimes  be  seen  in  considerable  numbers  around 
the  borders  of  woods,  and  in  dry,  open  fields,  fly- 
ing just  above  the  grass  with  a  loud  humming  sound,  like  a 
humble-bee,  for  which  perhaps  it  might  at  first  sight  be  mis- 
taken.    Like  other  insects  of  the  same  genus,  it  has  a  broad 
body,  very  obtuse  behind,  with  a  triangular  thorax,  and  a 
little  wedge-shaped  piece   on   each  side  between  the  hinder 
angles  of  the  thorax  and  the  shoulders  of  the  wing-covers ; 
the  latter,  taken  together,  form  an   oblong  square,  but  are 
somewhat  notched  or  widely  scalloped  on  the  middle  of  the 
outer  edges.     The  head  and  thorax  of  this  beetle  are  dark 
copper-brown,  or  almost  black,  and  thickly  covered  with  short 
greenish-yellow  hairs ;    the    wing-cases   are   light   yellowish- 

*  Scarabcnu  Indus  of  Linnseus,  Cetonia  barbata  of  Say.« 

|  *  Cetonia  Inda.  The  old  genus  Celonia  has  been  divided  recently  into  many 
genera,  some  of  which  have  again  been  merged  together  by  later  investigators ; 
our  species  belong  to  the  one  called  Euryomia,  as  enlarged  by  Lacordaire.  —  LEG.] 


THE    AMERICAN    CETONIANS.  41 

brown,  but  changeable,  with  pearly  and  metallic  tints,  and 
spattered  with  .numerous  irregular  black  spots  ;  the  under- 
side of  the  body,  which  is  very  hairy,  is  of  a  black  color,  with 
the  edges  of  the  rings  and  the  legs  dull  red.  It  measures 
about  six  tenths  of  an  inch  in  length.  During  the  summer 
months  the  Indian  Cetonia  is  not  seen  ;  but  about  the  middle 
of  September  a  new  brood  comes  forth,  the  beetles  appearing 
fresh  and  bright,  as  though  they  had  just  completed  their  last 
transformation.  At  this  time  they  may  be  found  on  the 
flowers  of  the  golden-rod,  eating  the  pollen,  and  also  in  great 
numbers  on  corn-stalks,  and  on  the  trunks  of  the  locust-tree, 
feeding  upon  the  sweet  sap  of  these  plants.  Fortunate  would 
it  be  for  us  if  they  fed  on  these  only  ;  but  their  love  of  sweets 
leads  them  to  attack  our  finest  peaches,  which,  as  soon  as 
ripe,  they  begin  to  devour,  and  in  a  very  few  hours  entirely 
spoil.  I  have  taken  a  dozen  of  them  from  a  single  peach, 
into  which  they  had  burrowed  so  that  nothing  but  the  naked 
tips  of  their  hind-body  could  be  seen ;  and  not  a  ripe  peach 
remained  unbitten  by  them  on  the  tree.  When  touched,  they 
leave  a  strong  and  disagreeable  scent  upon  the  fingers.  On 
the  approach  of  cold  weather  they  disappear,  but  I  have  not 
been  able  to  ascertain  what  becomes  of  them  at  this  time,  and 
only  conjecture  that  they  get  into  some  warm  and  sheltered 
spot,  where  they  pass  the  winter  in  a  torpid  state,  and  in  the 
spring  issue  from  their  retreats,  and  finish  their  career  by 
depositing  their  eggs  for  another  brood.  Those  that  are  seen 
in  the  spring  want  the  freshness  of  the  autumnal  beetles,  a 
circumstance  that  favors  my  conjecture.  Their  hovering  over 
and  occasionally  dropping  upon  the  surface  of  the  ground,  is 
probably  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  a  suitable  place  to  enter 
the  earth  and  lay  their  eggs.  Hence  I  suppose  that  their 
larvae  or  grubs  may  live  on  the  roots  of  herbaceous  plants. 

The  other  Cetonian  beetle  to  be  described  is  the  Osmo- 
derma  scaber,*  or  rough  Osmoderma  (Fig.  18).     It  is  a  large 


*  Trichius  scaber,  Palisot  de  Beauvois;  Gymnodus  scaber,  Kirby. 
6 


42  COLEOPTERA. 

insect,  with  a  broad,  oval,  and  flattened  body  ;  the  thorax  is 
nearly  round,  but  wider  than  long ; 
there  are  no  wedge-shaped  pieces  be- 
tween the  corners  of  the  thorax  and 
the  shoulders  of  the  wing-cases,  and 
the  outer  edges  of  the  latter  are  en- 
tire. It  is  of  a  purplish-black  color, 
with  a  coppery  lustre  ;  the  head  is 
punctured,  concave  or  hollowed  on 
the  top,  with  the  edge  of  the  broad 
visor  turned  up  in  the  males ;  nearly 
flat,  and  with  the  edge  of  the  visor  not  raised  in  the  females  ; 
the  wing-cases  are  so  thickly  and  deeply  and  irregularly 
punctured  as  to  appear  almost  as  rough  as  shagreen ;  the 
under-side  of  the  body  is  smooth  and  without  hairs  ;  and 
the  legs  are  short  and  stout.  In  addition  to  the  differences 
between  the  sexes  above  described,  it  may  be  mentioned  that 
the  females  are  generally  much  larger  than  the  males,  and 
often  want  the  coppery  polish  of  the  latter.  They  measure 
from  eight  tenths  of  an  inch  to  one  inch  and  one  tenth  in 
length.  They  are  nocturnal  insects,  and  conceal  themselves 
during  the  day  in  the  crevices  and  hollows  of  trees,  where 
they  feed  upon  the  sap  that  flows  from  the  bark.  They  have 
the  odor  of  Russia  leather,  and  give  this  out  so  powerfully 
that  their  presence  can  be  detected,  by  the  scent  alone,  at  the 
distance  of  two  or  three  yards  from  the  place  of  their  retreat. 
This  strong  smell  suggested  the  name  Osmoderma,  that  is, 
scented  skin,  given  to  these  beetles  by  the  French  naturalists. 
They  seem  particularly  fond  of  the  juices  of  cherry  and  apple 
trees,  in  the  hollows  of  which  I  have  often  discovered  them. 
Their  larvae  live  in  the  hollows  of  these  same  trees,  feeding 
upon  the  diseased  wood,  and  causing  it  more  rapidly  to  de- 
cay. They  are  whitish  fleshy  grubs,  with  a  reddish  hard- 
shelled  head,  and  closely  resemble  the  grubs  of  the  common 
dor-beetle.  In  the  autumn  each  one  makes  an  oval  cell  or 
pod,  of  fragments  of  wood,  strongly  cemented  with  a  kind 


THE  LUCANIAN  BEETLES.  48 

of  glue  ;  it  goes  through  its  transformation  within  this  cell, 
and  comes  forth  in  the  beetle  form  in  the  month  of  July. 

We  have  another  scented  beetle,  equal  in  size  to  the  pre- 
ceding, of  a  deep  mahogany-brown  color, 
perfectly  smooth,  and  highly  polished,  and 
the  male  has  a  deep  pit  before  the  middle 
of  the  thorax.  This  species  of  Osmoderma 
is  called  eremicola  *  (Fig.  19),  a  name 
that  cannot  be  rendered  literally  into  Eng- 
lish by  any  single  word ;  it  signifies  wil- 
derness-inhabitant, for  which  might  be 
substituted  hermit.  I  believe  that  this  in- 
sect lives  in  forest-trees,  but  the  larva  is 
unknown  to  me. 

The  family  LUCANID^:,  or  Lucanians,  so  named  from  the 
Linnasan  genus  LUCANUS,  must  be  placed  next  to  the  Scara- 
baaians  in  a  natural  arrangement.  This  family  includes  the 
insects  called  stag-beetles,  horn-bugs,  and  flying-bulls,  names 
that  they  have  obtained  from  the  great  size  and  peculiar  form 
of  their  upper  jaws,  which  are  sometimes  curved  like  the 
horns  of  cattle,  and  sometimes  branched  like  the  antlers  of 'a 
stag.  In  these  beetles  the  body  is  hard,  oblong,  rounded 
behind,  and  slightly  convex ;  the  head  is  large  and  broad, 
especially  in  the  males  ;  the  thorax  is  short,  and  as  wide  as 
the  abdomen  ;  the  antennae  are  rather  long,  elbowed  or  bent 
in  the  middle,  and  composed  of  ten  joints,  the  last  three  or 
four  of  which  are  broad,  leaf-like,  and  project  on  the  inside, 
giving  to  this  part  of  the  antennas  a  resemblance  to  the  end 
of  a  key ;  the  upper  jaws  are  usually  much  longer  in  the 
males  than  in  the  females,  but  even  those  of  the  latter  ex- 
tend considerably  beyond  the  mouth  ;  each  of  the  under  jaws 
is  provided  with  a  long  hairy  pencil  or  brush,  which  can  be 
seen  projecting  beyond  the  mouth  between  the  feelers ;  and 
the  under  lip  has  two  shorter  pencils  of  the  same  kind ;  the 

*  Ctlunia  eremicola  of  Kiioeh. 


44  COLEOPTERA. 

fore  legs  are  oftentimes  longer  than  the  others,  with  the  outer 
edge  of  the  shanks  notched  into  teeth  ;  the  feet  are  five- 
jointed,  and  the  nails  are  entire  and  equal.  These  beetles 
fly  abroad  during  the  night,  and  frequently  enter  houses  at 
that  time,  somewhat  to  the  alarm  of  the  occupants ;  but  they 
are  not  venomous,  and  never  attempt  to  bite  without  provo- 
cation. They  pass  the  day  on  the  trunks  of  trees,  and  live 
upon  the  sap,  for  procuring  which  the  brushes  of  their  jaws 
and  hp  seem  to  be  designed.  They  are  said  also  occasionally 
to  bite  and  seize  caterpillars  and  other  sofl>-bodied  insects,  for 
the  purpose  of  sucking  out  their  juices.  They  lay  their  eggs 
in  crevices  of  the  bark  of  trees,  especially  near  the  roots, 
where  they  may  sometimes  be  seen  thus  employed.  The 
larvae  hatched  from  these  eggs  resemble  the  grubs  of  the 
Scarabasians  in  color  and  form,  but  they  are  smoother,  or 
not  so  much  wrinkled.  The  grubs  of  the  large  kinds  are 
said  to  be  six  years  in  coming  to  their  growth,  living  all 
this  time  in  the  trunks  and  roots  of  trees,  boring  into  the 
solid  wood,  and  reducing  it  to  a  substance  resembling  very 
coarse  sawdust ;  and  the  injury  thus  caused  by  them  is 
frequently  very  considerable.  When  they  have  arrived  at 
their  full  size,  they  enclose  themselves  in  egg-shaped  pods, 
composed  of  gnawed  particles  of  wood  and  bark  stuck  to- 
gether and  lined  with  a  kind  of  glue  ;  within  these  pods  they 
are  transformed  to  pupae,  of  a  yellowish-white  color,  having 
the  body  and  all  the  limbs  of  the  future  beetle  encased  in  a 
whitish  film,  which  being  thrown  off  in  due  time,  the  insects 
appear  in  the  beetle  form,  burst  the  walls  of  their  prison, 
crawl  through  the  passages  the  larvae  had  gnawed,  and  come 
forth  on  the  outside  of  the  trees. 

The  largest  of  these  beetles  in  the  New  England  States 
was  first  described  by  Linnaeus,  under  the  name  of  Lucanus 
Capreolus  *  (Fig.  20),  signifying  the  young  roebuck  ;  but 
here  it  is  called  the  horn-bug.  Its  color  is  a  deep  mahogany- 

*  I. in-tin  at  Duma  of  Fabric  ius. 


THE    SEREICORN    BEETLES. 


45 


Fig.  20. 


brown  ;  the  surface  is  smooth  and  polished  ;  the  upper  jaws 
of  the  male  are  long,  curved  like 
a  sickle,  and  furnished  internally 
beyond  the  middle  with  a  little 
tooth ;  those  of  the  female  are 
much  shorter,  and  also  toothed ; 
the  head  of  the  male  is  broad  and 
smooth,  that  of  the  other  sex  nar- 
rower and  rough  with  punctures. 
The  body  of  this  beetle  measures 
from  one  inch  to  one  inch  and 
a  quarter,  exclusive  of  the  jaws. 
The  time  of  its  appearance  is  in 
July  and  the  beginning  of  Au- 
gust. The  grubs  live  in  the  trunks  and  roots  of  various 
kinds  of  trees,  but  particularly  in  those  of  old  apple-trees, 
willows,  and  oaks.  All  the  foregoing  beetles  have,  by  some 
naturalists,  been  gathered  into  a  single  tribe,  called  lamelli- 
corn  or  leaf-horned  beetles,  on  account  of  the  leaf-like  joints 
wherewith  the  end  of  their  antennae  is  provided. 

The  beetles  next  to  be  described  have  been  brought  to- 
gether into  one  great  tribe,  named  serricorn  or  saw-horned 
beetles,  because  the  tips  of  the  joints  of  their  antennae  usually 
project  more  or  less  on  the  inside,  somewhat  like  the  teeth 
of  a  saw.  The  beetles  belonging  to  the  family  BUPRESTID^E, 
or  the  Buprestians,  have  antennae  of  this  kind.  The  Bupres- 
tis  of  the  ancients,  as  its  name  signifies  in  Greek,  was  a  poi- 
sonous insect,  which,  being  swallowed  with  grass  by  grazing 
cattle,  produced  a  violent  inflammation,  and  such  a  degree 
of  swelling  as  to  cause  the  cattle  to  burst.  Linnaeus,  how- 
ever, unfortunately  applied  this  name  to  the  insects  of  the 
above-mentioned  family,  none  of  which  are  poisonous  to  ani- 
mals, and  are  rarely,  if  ever,  found  upon  the  grass.  It  is  in 
allusion  to  the  original  signification  of  the  word  Buprestis, 
that  popular  English  writers  on  natural  history  sometimes 
give  the  name  of  burncow  to  the  harmless  Buprestians  ;  while 


46  COLEOPTERA. 

the  French,  with  greater  propriety,  call  them  richards,  on 
account  of  the  rich  and  brilliant  colors  wherewith  many  of 
them  are  adorned.  The  Buprestians,  then,  according  to  the 
Linnaean  application,  or  rather  misapplication,  of  the  name, 
are  hard-shelled  beetles,  often  brilliantly  colored,  of  an  ellip- 
tical or  oblong  oval  form,  obtuse  before,  tapering  behind,  and 
broader  than  thick,  so  that,  when  cut  in  two  transversely,  the 
section  is  oval.  The  head  is  sunk  to  the  eyes  in  the  fore  part 
of  the  thorax ;  and  the  antennae  are  rather  short,  and  notched 
on  one  side  like  the  teeth  of  a  saw.  The  thorax  is  broadest 
behind,  and  usually  fits  very  closely  to  the  shoulders  of  the 
wing-covers.  The  legs  are  rather  short,  and  the  feet  are 
formed  for  standing  firmly,  rather  than  for  rapid  motion ;  the 
soles  being  composed  of  four  rather  wide  joints,  covered  with 
little  spongy  cushions  beneath,  and  terminated  by  a  fifth  joint, 
which  is  armed  with  two  claws.  Most  beetles,  as  already 
stated,  have  a  little  triangular  piece,  called  the  scutel,  wedged 
between  the  bases  of  the  wing-covers  and  the  hinder  part  of 
the  thorax,  commonly  of  a  triangular  or  semicircular  form,  and 
in  the  greater  number  of  coleopterous  insects  quite  conspicu- 
ous ;  in  the  Buprestians,  however,  the  scutel  is  generally 
very  small,  and  sometimes  hardly  perceptible.  These  beetles 
are  frequently  seen  on  the  trunks  and  limbs  of  trees  basking 
in  the  sun.  They  walk  slowly,  and,  at  the  approach  of 
danger,  fold  up  their  legs  and  antenna?  and  fall  to  the  ground. 
Being  furnished  with  ample  wings,  their  flight  is  swift,  and 
attended  with  a  whizzing  noise.  They  keep  concealed  in 
the  night,  and  are  in  motion  only  during  the  day. 

The  larvae  are  wood-eaters  or  borers.  Our  forests  and 
orchards  are  more  or  less  subject  to  their  attacks,  especially 
after  the  trees  have  passed  their  prime.  The  transforma- 
tions of  these  insects  take  place  in  the  trunks  and  limbs  of 
trees.  The  larvae  that  are  known  to  me  have  a  close 
resemblance  to  each  other ;  a  general  idea  of  them  can  be 
formed  from  a  description  of  that  which  attacks  the  pig-nut 
hickory  (Fig.  21).  It  is  of  a  yellowish-white  color,  very 


FOREST-TREE    BORERS.  47 

long,  narrow,  and  depressed  in  form,  but  abruptly  widened 
near  the  anterior  extremity.  The  head  is  brownish,  Fig  21 
small,  and  sunk  in  the  fore  part  of  the  first  segment ; 
the  upper  jaws  are  provided  with  three  teeth,  and 
are  of  a  black  color ;  and  the  antennaB  are  very 
short.  The  segment  which  receives  ^the  head  is 
short  and  transverse ;  next  to  it  is  a  large  oval  seg- 
ment, broader  than  long,  and  depressed  or  flattened 
above  and  beneath.  Behind  this,  the  segments  are 
very  much  narrowed,  and  become  gradually  longer ;  but  are 
still  flattened,  to  the  last,  which  is  terminated  by  a  rounded 
tubercle  or  wart.  There  are  no  legs,  nor  any  apparatus  which 
can  serve  as  such,  except  two  small  warts  on  the  under-side 
of  the  second  segment  from  the  thorax.  The  motion  of  the 
grub  appears  to  be  effected  by  the  alternate  contractions  and 
elongations  of  the  segments,  aided,  perhaps,  by  the  tubercu- 
lar extremity  of  the  body,  and  by  its  jaws,  with  which  it  takes 
hold  of  the  sides  of  its  burrow,  and  thus  draws  itself  along. 
These  grubs  are  found  under  the  bark  and  in  the  solid  wood 
of  trees,  and  sometimes  in  great  numbers.  They  frequently 
rest  with  the  body  bent  sidewise,  so  that  the  head  and  tail 
approach  each  other.  This  posture  those  found  under  bark 
usually  assume.  They  appear  to  pass  several  years  in  the 
larva  state.  The  pupa  bears  a  near  resemblance  to  the  per- 
fect insect,  but  is  entirely  white,  until  near  the  time  of  its  last 
transformation.  Its  situation  is  immediately  under  the  bark, 
the  head  being  directed  outwards,  so  that,  when  the  pupa-coat 
is  cast  off,  the  beetle  has  merely  a  thin  covering  of  bark  to 
perforate,  before  making  its  escape  from  the  tree.  The  form 
of  this  perforation  is  oval,  as  is  also  a  transverse  section  of  the 
burrow,  that  shape  being  best  adapted  to  the  form,  motions, 
and  egress  of  the  insect. 

Some  of  these  beetles  are  known  to  eat  leaves  and  flowers, 
and  of  this  nature  is  probably  the  food  of  all  of  them.  The 
injury  they  may  thus  commit  is  not  very  apparent,  and  can- 
not bear  any  comparison  with  the  extensive  ravages  of  their 


48  COLEOPTERA. 

larvae.  The  solid  trunks  and  limbs  of  sound  and  vigorous 
trees  are  often  bored  through  in  various  directions  by  these 
insects,  which,  during  a  long-continued  life,  derive  their  only 
nourishment  from  the  woody  fragments  they  devour.  Pines 
and  firs  seem  particularly  subject  to  their  attacks,  but  other 
forest-trees  do  not  escape,  and  even  fruit-trees  are  frequently 
injured  by  these  borers.  The  means  to  be  used  for  destroy- 
ing them  are  similar  to  those  employed  against  other  borers, 
and  will  be  explained  in  a  subsequent  part  of  this  essay.  It 
may  not  be  amiss,  however,  here  to  remark,  that  woodpeckers 
are  much  more  successful  in  discovering  the  retreats  of  these 
borers,  and  in  dragging  out  the  defenceless  culprits  from  their 
burrows,  than  the  most  skilful  gardener  or  nurseryman. 
The  largest  of  these  beetles  in  this  part  of  the  United 
Fi  22  States  is  the  Buprestis  (Chalcophord)  Vir- 

ginica  (Fig.  22)  of  Drury,  or  Virginian 
Buprestis.  It  is  of  an  oblong  oval  form, 
brassy,  or  copper-colored ;  sometimes  almost 
black,  with  hardly  any  metallic  reflections. 
The  upper  side  of  the  body  is  roughly  punc- 
tured ;  the  top  of  the  head  is  deeply  in- 
dented ;  on  the  thorax  there  are  three  pol- 
ished black  elevated  lines  ;  on  each  wing-cover  are  two  small 
square  impressed  spots,  a  long  elevated  smooth  black  line 
near  the  outer,  and  another  near  the  inner  margin,  with  sev- 
eral short  lines  of  the  same  kind  between  them ;  the  under- 
side of  the  body  is  sparingly  covered  with  short  whitish  down. 
It  measures  from  eight  tenths  of  an  inch  to  one  inch  or  more 
in  length.  This  beetle  appears  towards  the  end  of  May,  and 
through  the  month  of  June,  on  pine-trees  and  on  fences.  In 
the  larva  state  it  bores  into  the  trunks  of  the  different  kinds 
of  pines,  and  is  oftentimes  very  injurious  to  these  trees. 

The  wild  cherry-tree  (Prunus  serotina),  and  also  the 
garden  cherry  and  peach  trees,  suffer  severely  from  the  at- 
tacks of  borers,  which  are  transformed  to  the  beetles  called 
Buprestis  (Dicerca)  divaricata  by  Mr.  Say,  because  the  wing- 


*       THE    BUPRESTIANS.  49 

covers  divaricate  or  spread  apart  a  little  at  the  tips.  (Plate 
II.  Fig.  7.)  These  beetles  are  copper-colored,  sometimes 
brassy  above,  and  thickly  covered  with  little  punctures  ;  the 
thorax  is  slightly  furrowed  in  the  middle ;  the  wing-covers 
are  marked  with  numerous  fine  irregular  impressed  lines  and 
small  oblong  square  elevated  black  spots  ;  they  taper  very 
much  behind,  and  the  long  and  narrow  tips  are  blunt-pointed  ; 
the  middle  of  the  breast  is  furrowed ;  and  the  males  have 
a  little  tooth  on  the  under-side  of  the  shanks  of  the  inter- 
mediate legs.  They  measure  from  seven  to  nine  tenths  of 
an  inch.  These  beetles  may  be  found  sunning  themselves 
upon  the  limbs  of  cherry  and  peach  trees  during  the  months 
of  June,  July,  and  August. 

The  borer  of  the  hickory  has  already  been  described.  It 
is  transformed  to  a  beetle  which  appears  to  be  Fig.  23. 
the  Buprestis  (Dicerca)  lurida  *  (Fig.  23)  of 
Fabricius.  It  is  of  a  lurid  or  dull  brassy  color 
above,  bright  copper  beneath,  and  thickly  punc- 
tured all  over ;  there  are  numerous  irregular 
impressed  lines,  and  several  narrow  elevated 
black  spots  on  the  wing-covers,  the  tip  of  each  of  which  ends 
with  two  little  points.  It  measures  from  about  six  to  eight 
tenths  of  an  inch  in  length.  This  kind  of  Buprestis  appears 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  summer  on  the  trunks  and 
limbs  of  the  hickory. 

Buprestis  ( Chrysobothris)  dentipes  f  (Fig.  24)  of  Germar, 
so  named  from  the  little  tooth  on  the  under-side        Fig  , 
of  the  thick  fore  legs,  inhabits  the  trunks  of  oak- 
trees.    It  completes  its  transformations  and  comes 
out  of  the  trees  between  the  end  of  May  and  the 
first  of  July.     It  is  oblong,  oval,  and  flattened, 
of  a   bronzed   brownish  or  purplish-black  color 
above,  copper-colored  beneath,  and  rough  like  shagreen  with 


*Ig.  -JA. 

I 


*  Buprestis  obscura,  F.,  found  in  the  Middle  and  Southern  States,  closely  resem- 
bles the  lurida. 
t  Buprestis  characteristica,  Harris.    N.  E.  Farmer,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  2. 

7 


Fig.  25. 
^jtf 

m 


50  COLEOPTERA. 

numerous  punctures  ;  the  thorax  is  not  so  wide  as  the  hinder 
part  of  the  body,  its  hinder  margin  is  hollowed  on  both  sides 
to  receive  the  rounded  base  of  each  wing-cover,  and  there 
are  two  smooth  elevated  lines  on  the  middle  ;  on  each  wing- 
cover  there  are  three  irregular  smooth  elevated  lines,  which 
are  divided  and  interrupted  by  large  thickly  punctured  im- 
pressed spots,  two  of  which  are  oblique ;  the  tips  are  round- 
ed. Length  from  one  half  to  six  tenths  of  an  inch. 

Suprestis  ( Ghrysoboihris)  femorata  (Fig.  25)  of  Fabricius 
Fig.  25.  has  the  first  pair  of  thighs  toothed  beneath,  like 
the  preceding,  which  it  resembles  also  in  its  form 
and  general  appearance.  It  is  of  a  greenish-black 
color  above,  with  a  brassy  polish,  which  is  very 
distinct  in  the  two  large  transverse  impressed  spots 
on  each  wing-cover ;  and  the  thorax  has  no  smooth  elevated 
lines  on  it.  It  measures  from  four  tenths  to  above  half  of  an 
inch  in  length.  Its  time  of  appearance  is  from  the  end  of 
May  to  the  middle  of  July,  during  which  it  may  often  be 
seen,  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  resting  upon  or  flying  round 
the  trunks  of  white-oak  trees,  and  recently  cut  timber  of  the 
same  kind  of  wood.  I  have  repeatedly  taken  it  upon  and 
under  the  bark  of  peach-trees  also.  The  grubs  or  Iarva3 
bore  into  the  trunks  of  these  trees. 

The  Buprestis  (^Chrysobothris)  fulvoguttata*  (Fig.  26),  or 
Fig.  26.       tawny-spotted  Buprestis,  first  described  by  me  in 
the  eighth  volume  of  the  "  New  England  Farm- 
er,"  is  proportionally  shorter   and  more  convex 
than  the  two  foregoing  species.     It  is  black  and 
bronzed  above,  and  brassy  beneath  ;  the  thorax  is 
covered  with  very  fine  wavy  transverse  lines,  and  is  some- 


*  Mr.  Kirby  has  re-described  and  figured  this  insect  under  the  name  of  Bupreslis 
(Trachypterit)  Dntmmondi,  in  the  fourth  volume  of  the  "Fauna  Boreali- Ameri- 
cana." 7 

[  7  Buprestis  ( Chrysobothris)  fvlvoguttata  does  not  belong  to  Chrysobothris,  but  to 
Melanophila,  Esch.  The  anterior  thighs  are  not  armed  with  a  tooth,  and  the  base 
of  the  thorax  is  truncate.  —  LEC.] 


THE    SPRING-BEETLES.  51 

times  copper-colored  ;  the  wing-covers  are  thickly  punctured  ; 
and  on  each  there  are  three  small  tawny  yellow  spots,  with 
sometimes  an  additional  one  by  the  side  of  the  first  spot ; 
the  tips  are  rounded,  and  the  fore  legs  are  not  toothed.  It 
varies  very  much  in  size,  measuring  from  about  three  to 
four  tenths  of  an  inch  in  length.  I  have  taken  this  insect 
from  the  trunks  of  the  white  pine  in  the  month  of  June,  and 
have  seen  others  that  were  found  in  the  Oregon  Territory. 

Professor  Hentz  has  described  a  smaU  and  broad  beetle 
having  the  form  of  the  above,  under  the  name  of  Buprestu 
(  Chrysobothris)  Harrisii.  (Plate  II. Fig.  2.)  It  is  entirely  of 
a  brilliant  blue-green  color,  except  the  sides  of  the  thorax,  and 
the  thighs,  which  in  the  male  are  copper-colored.  It  meas- 
ures a  little  more  than  three  tenths  of  an  inch  in  length. 
The  larvaa  of  this  species  inhabit  the  small  limbs  of  the  white 
pine,  and  young  sapling  trees  of  the  same  kind,  upon  which 
I  have  repeatedly  captured  the  beetles  about  the  middle  of 
June. 

These  seven  species  form  but  a  very  small  part  of  the  Bu- 
prestians  inhabiting  Massachusetts  and  the  other  New  Eng- 
land States.  My  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  the  others  is  not 
sufficiently  perfect  to  render  it  worth  while  to  insert  descrip- 
tions of  them  here.  The  concealed  situation  of  the  grubs  of 
these  beetles,  in  the  trunks  and  limbs  of  trees,  renders  it 
very  difficult  to  discover  and  dislodge  them.  When  trees 
are  found  to  be  very  much  infested  by  them,  and  are  going 
to  decay  in  consequence  of  the  ravages  of  these  borers,  it  will 
be  better  to  cut  them  down,  and  burn  them  immediately, 
rather  than  to  suffer  them  to  stand  until  the  borers  have 
completed  their  transformations  and  made  their  escape. 

Closely  related  to  the  Buprestians  are  the  Elaters,  or 
spring-beetles,  (ELATERIDJE,)  which  are  well  known  by  the 
faculty  they  have  of  throwing  themselves  upwards  with  a 
jerk,  when  laid  on  their  backs.  On  the  under-side  of  the 
breast,  between  the  bases  of  the  first  pair  of  legs,  there  is  a 
short  blunt  spine,  the  point  of  which  is  usually  concealed  in 


52  COLEOPTERA. 

a  corresponding  cavity  behind  it.  When  the  insect,  by  any 
accident,  falls  upon  its  back,  its  legs  are  so  short,  and  its 
back  is  so  convex,  that  it  is  unable  to  turn  itself  over.  It 
then  folds  its  legs  close  to  its  body,  bends  back  the  head  and 
thorax,  and  thus  unsheathes  its  breast-spine ;  then,  by  suddenly 
straightening  its  body,  the  point  of  the  spine  is  made  to  strike 
with  force  upon  the  edge  of  the  sheath,  which  gives  it  the 
power  of  a  spring,  and  reacts  on  the  body  of  the  insect,  so 
as  to  throw  it  perpendicularly  into  the  air.  When  it  again 
falls,  if  it  does  not  come  down  upon  its  feet,  it  repeats  its  ex- 
ertions until  its  object  is  effected.  In  these  beetles  the  body 
is  of  a  hard  consistence,  and  is  usually  rather  narrow  and 
tapering  behind.  The  head  is  sunk  to  the  eyes  in  the  fore 
part  of  the  thorax ;  the  antennae  are  of  moderate  length,  and 
more  or  less  notched  on  the  inside  like  a  saw.  The  thorax 
is  as  broad  at  the  base  as  the  wing-covers ;  it  is  usually 
rounded  before,  and  the  hinder  angles  are  sharp  and  promi- 
nent. The  scutel  is  of  moderate  size.  The  legs  are  rather 
short  and  slender,  and  the  feet  are  five-jointed. 

The  larvaa  or  grubs  of  the  Elaters  live  upon  wood  and 
roots,  and  are  often  very  injurious  to  vegetation.  Some 
are  confined  to  old  or  decaying  trees,  others  devour  the 
roots  of  herbaceous  plants.  In  England  they  are  called 
wire-worms,  from  their  slenderness  and  uncommon  hard- 
ness. They  are  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  American 
wire-worm,  a  species  of  lulus,  which  is  not  a  true  insect, 
but  belongs  to  the  class  MYRIAPODA,  a  name  derived  from 
the  great  number  of  feet  with  which  most  of  the  animals 
included  in  it  are  furnished ;  whereas  the  English  wire-worm 
has  only  six  feet.  The  European  wire-worm  is  said  to  live, 
in  its  feeding  or  larva  state,  not  less  than  five  years  ;  during 
the  greater  part  of  which  time  it  is  supported  by  devouring 
the  roots  of  wheat,  rye,  oats,  and  grass,  annually  causing  a 
large  diminution  of  the  produce,  and  sometimes  destroying 
whole  crops.  It  is  said  to  be  particularly  injurious  in  gar- 
dens recently  converted  from  pasture  lands.  We  have 


THE    SPRING-BEETLES.  53 

several  grubs  allied  to  this  destructive  insect,  which  are 
quite  common  in  land  newly  broken  up ;  but  fortunately, 
as  yet,  their  ravages  are  inconsiderable.  We  may  expect 
these  to  increase  in  proportion  as  we  disturb  them  and  de- 
prive them  of  their  usual  articles  of  food,  while  we  continue 
also  to  persecute  and  destroy  their  natural  enemies,  the  birds, 
and  may  then  be  obliged  to  resort  to  the  ingenious  method 
adopted  by  European  farmers  and  gardeners  for  alluring 
and  capturing  these  grubs.  This  method  consists  in  strew- 
ing sliced  potatoes  or  turnips  in  rows  through  the  garden  or 
field ;  women  and  boys  are  employed  to  examine  the  slices 
every  morning,  and  collect  the  insects  which  readily  come  to 
feed  upon  the  bait.  Some  of  these  destructive  insects,  which 
I  have  found  in  the  ground  among  the  roots  of  plants,  were 
long,  slender,  worm-like  grubs,  closely  resembling  the  com- 
mon meal-worm ;  they  were  nearly  cylindrical,  with  a  hard 
and  smooth  skin,  of  a  buff  or  brownish-yellow  color,  the 
head  and  tail  only  being  a  little  darker;  each  of  the  first 
three  rings  was  provided  with  a  pair  of  short  legs ;  the  hind- 
most ring  was  longer  than  the  preceding  one,  was  pointed  at 
the  end,  and  had  a  little  pit  on  each  side  of  the  extremity ; 
beneath  this  part  there  was  a  short  retractile  wart,  or  prop- 
leg,  serving  to  support  the  extremity  of  the  body,  and  prevent 
it  from  trailing  on  the  ground.  Other  grubs  of  Elaters  differ 
from  the  foregoing  in  being  proportionally  broader,  not  cy- 
lindrical, but  somewhat  flattened,  with  a  deep  notch  at  the 
extremity  of  the  last  ring,  the  sides  of  which  are  beset  with 
little  teeth.  Such  grubs  are  mostly  wood-eaters,  devouring 
the  woody  parts  of  roots,  or  living  under  the  bark  and  in  the 
trunks  of  old  trees. 

After  their  last  transformation,  Elaters  or  spring-beetles 
make  their  appearance  upon  trees  and  fences,  and  some  are 
found  on  flowers.  They  creep  slowly,  and  generally  fall  to 
the  ground  on  being  touched.  They  fly  both  by  day  and 
night.  Their  food,  in  the  beetle  state,  appears  to  be  chiefly 
derived  from  flowers  ;  but  some  devour  the  tender  leaves 
of  plants. 


54  COLEOPTERA. 

The  largest  of  our  spring-beetles  is  the  Elater  {Alaus) 
m   y.  oculatus  of  Linnaeus  (Fig.  27).     It  is 

of  a  black  color  ;  the  thorax  is  oblong- 
square,  and  nearly  one  third  the  length 
of  the  whole  body,  covered  above  with  a 
whitish  powder,  and  with  a  large  oval 
velvet-black  spot,  like  an  eye,  on  each 
side  of  the  middle,  from  which  the  in- 
sect derives  its  name,  oculatus,  or  eyed  ; 
the  wing-covers  are  marked  with  slen- 
der longitudinal  impressed  lines,  and  are 
sprinkled  with  numerous  white  dots  ; 
the  under-side  of  the  body,  and  the 
legs,  are  covered  with  a  white  mealy  powder.  This  large 
beetle  measures  from  one  inch  and  a  quarter  to  one  inch  and 
three  quarters  in  length.  It  is  found  on  trees,  fences,  and 
the  sides  of  buildings,  in  June  and  July.  It  undergoes  its 
transformations  in  the  trunks  of  trees.  I  have  found  many 
of  them  in  old  apple-trees,  together  with  their  larvae,  which 
eat  the  wood,  and  from  which  I  subsequently  obtained  the 
insects  in  the  beetle  state.  These  larvae  are  reddish-yellow 
grubs,  proportionally  much  broader  than  the  other  kinds, 
and  very  much  flattened.  One  of  them,  which  was  found 
fully  grown  early  in  April,  measured  two  inches  and  a  half 
in  length,  and  nearly  four  tenths  of  an  inch  across  the  mid- 
dle of  the  body,  and  was  not  much  narrowed  at  either  ex- 
tremity. The  head  was  broad,  brownish,  and  rough  above ; 
the  upper  jaws  or  nippers  were  very  strong,  curved,  and 
pointed ;  the  eyes  were  small  and  two  in  number,  one  being 
placed  at  the  base  of  each  of  the  short  antennas ;  the  last 
segment  of  the  body  was  blackish,  rough  with  little  sharp- 
pointed  warts,  with  a  deep  semicircular  notch  at  the  end, 
and  furnished  around  the  sides  with  little  teeth,  the  two 
hindmost  of  which  were  long,  forked,  and  curved  upwards 
like  hooks ;  under  this  segment  was  a  large  retractile  fleshy 
prop-foot,  armed  behind  with  little  claws,  and  around  the 


THE    SPRING-BEETLES.  55 

sides  with  short  spines ;  the  true  legs  were  six,  a  pair  to 
each  of  the  first  three  rings ;  and  were  tipped  with  a  single 
claw.  Soon  after  this  grub  was  found,  it  cast  its  skin  and 
became  a  pupa,  and  in  due 'time  the  latter  was  transformed 
to  a  beetle. 

Elater  (Pyrophorus)  noctilucus,  the  night-shining  Elater, 
is  the  celebrated  cucuio  or  fire-beetle  of  the  West  Indies, 
from  whence  it  is  frequently  brought  alive  to  this  country. 
It  resembles  the  preceding  insect  somewhat  in  form,  and  is 
an  inch  or  more  in  length.  It  gives  out  a  strong  light  from 
two  transparent  eye-like  spots  on  the  thorax,  and  from  the 
segments  of  its  body  beneath.  It  eats  the  pulpy  substance 
of  the  sugar-cane,  and  its  grub  is  said  to  be  very  injurious 
to  this  plant,  by  devouring  its  roots. 

The  next  two  common  Elaters,  together  with  several  other 
species,  are  distinguished  by  their  claws,  which  resemble  lit- 
tle combs,  being  furnished  with  a  row  of  fine  teeth  along  the 
under-side.  The  thorax  is  short  and  rounded  before,  and 
the  body  tapers  behind.  They  are  found  under  the  bark  of 
trees,  where  they  pass  the  winter,  having  completed  their 
transformations  in  the  previous  autumn.  Their 
grubs  live  in  wood.  The  first  of  these  beetles  is 
the  ash-colored  Elater,  Plater  {Melanotus)  cine- 
reus  of  Weber  (Fig.  28).  It  is  about  six  tenths 
of  an  inch  long,  and  is  dark  brown,  but  covered 
with  short  gray  hairs,  which  give  it  an  ashen 
hue ;  the  thorax  is  convex,  and  the  wing-covers 
are  marked  with  lines  of  punctures,  resembling  stitches.  It 
is  found  on  fences,  the  trunks  of  trees,  and  in  paths,  in 
April  and  May. 

Mater  {Melanotus)  communis  of  Schonherr,  is,  as  its  name 
implies,  an  exceedingly  common  and  abundant  species.  It 
closely  resembles  the  preceding,  but  is  smaller,  seldom  ex- 
ceeding half  an  inch  in  length;  it  is  also  rather  lighter 
colored  ;  the  thorax  is  proportionally  a  little  longer,  not  so 
convex,  and  has  a  slender  longitudinal  furrow  in  the  middle. 


56  COLEOPTERA. 

This  Elater  appears  in  the  same  places  as  the  cinereus  in 
April,  May,  and  June ;  and  the  recently  transformed  beetles 
can  also  be  found  in  the  autumn  under  the  bark  of  trees, 
where  they  pass  the  winter. 

Another  kind  of  spring-beetle,  which  absolutely  swarms  in 
paths  and  among  the  grass  during  the  warmest  and  brightest 
days  in  April  and  May,  is  the  Elater  (Ludius)  appressifrons 
of  Say.  Its  specific  name  probably  refers  to  the  front  of 
the  head  or  visor  being  pressed  downwards  over  the  lip.  The 
body  is  slender  and  almost  cylindrical,  of  a  deep  chestnut- 
brown  color,  rendered  gray,  however,  by  the  numerous  short 
yellowish  hairs  with  which  it  is  covered ;  the  thorax  is  of 
moderate  length,  not  much  narrowed  before,  convex  above, 
with  very  long  and  sharp-pointed  hinder  angles,  and  in  cer- 
tain lights  has  a  brassy  hue ;  the  wing-covers  are  finely  punc- 
tured, and  have  very  slender  impressed  longitudinal  lines 
upon  them ;  the  claws  are  not  toothed  beneath.  This  beetle 
usually  measures  from  four  to  five  tenths  of  an  inch  in 
length ;  but  the  females  frequently  greatly  exceed  these  di- 
mensions, and,  being  much  more  robust,  with  a  more  convex 
thorax,  were  supposed  by  Mr.  Say  to  belong  to  a  different 
species,  named  by  him  brevicornis,  the  short-horned.  The 
larvae  are  not  yet  known  to  me ;  but  I  have  strong  reasons 
for  thinking  that  they  live  in  the  ground,  upon  the  roots  of 
the  perennial  grasses  and  other  herbaceous  plants. 

Although  above  sixty  different  kinds  of  spring-beetles  are 
now  known  to  inhabit  Massachusetts,  I  shall 
add  to  the  foregoing  a  description  of  only  one 
more  species.  This  is  the  Elater  (Agriotes) 
obesus*  of  Say  (Fig.  29).  It  is  a  short  and 
thick  beetle,  as  the  specific  name  implies  ;  its 
real  color  is  a  dark  brown,  but  it.  is  covered  with 
dirty  yellowish-gray  hairs,  which  on  the  wing- 
covers  are  arranged  in  longitudinal  stripes  ;  the  head  and 

[8  Elater  (Agrioles)  obesus.    I  am  inclined  to  believe  this  species  to  be  the  Ela- 
ter mancus,  Say,  and  not  his  E.  ubesut,  wliich  is  now  entirely  unknown.  —  LKC.] 


THE    TIMBER-BEETLES.  57 

thorax  are  thickly  punctured,  and  the  wing-covers  are  punc- 
tured in  rows.  Its  length  is  about  three  tenths  of  an  inch. 
This  beetle  closely  resembles  one  of  the  kinds  which,  in 
the  grub  state,  is  called  the  wire-worm  in  Europe,  and  pos- 
sibly it  may  be  the  same.  This  circumstance  should  put  us 
on  our  guard  against  its  depredations.  It  is  found  in  April, 
May,  and  June,  among  the  roots  of  grass,  on  the  under-side 
of  boards  and  rails  on  the  ground,  and  sometimes  also  on 
fences. 

The  utility  of  a  knowledge  of  the  natural  history  of  in- 
sects in  the  practical  arts  of  life  was  never  more  strikingly 
and  triumphantly  proved  than  by  Linnaeus  himself,  who, 
while  giving  to  natural  science  its  language  and  its  laws, 
neglected  no  opportunity  to  point  out  its  economical  advan- 
tages.* On  one  occasion  this  great  naturalist  was  consulted 
by  the  King  of  Sweden  upon  the  cause  of  the  decay  and 
destruction  of  the  ship-timber  in  the  royal  dock-yards,  and, 
having  traced  it  to  the  depredations  of  insects,  and  ascer- 
tained the  history  of  the  depredators,  by  directing  the  timber 
to  be  sunk  under  water  during  the  season  when  these  insects 
made  their  appearance  in  the  winged  state,  and  were  busied 
in  laying  their  eggs,  he  effectually  secured  it  from  future 
attacks.  The  name  of  these  insects  is  Lymexylon  navale,  the 
naval  timber-destroyer.  They  have  since  increased  to  an 
alarming  extent  in  some  of  the  dock-yards  of  France,  and  in 
one  of  them,  at  least,  have  become  very  injurious,  wholly  in 
consequence  of  the  neglect  of  seasonable  advice  given  by  a 
naval  officer,  who  was  also  an  entomologist,  and  pointed  out 
the  source  of  the  injury,  together  with  the  remedy  to  be 
applied. 

*  See  the  Preface  to  Smith's  "  Introduction  to  Botany,"  and  Pulteney's  "  View 
of  the  Writings  of  Linnseus,"  for  several  examples,  one  of  which  it  may  not  be 
amiss  to  mention  here.  Linnaeus  was  the  first  to  point  out  the  advantages  to 
be  derived  from  employing  the  Arundo  arenaria,  or  beach-grass,  in  fixing  the 
sands  of  the  shore,  and  thereby  preventing  the  encroachments  of  the  sea.  The 
Dutch  have  long  availed  themselves  of  his  suggestion,  and  its  utility  has  been 
tested  to  some  extent  in  Massachusetts. 


58  COLEOPTERA. 

These  destructive  insects  belong  to  a  family  called  LY- 
MEXYLID^;,  which  may  be  rendered  timber-beetles.  They 
cannot  be  far  removed  from  the  Buprestians  and  the  spring- 
beetles  in  a  natural  arrangement.  From  the  latter,  however, 
the  insects  of  this  small  group  are  distinguished  by  having 
the  head  broad  before,  narrowed  behind,  and  not  sunk  into 
the  thorax ;  they  have  not  the  breast-spine  of  the  Elaters, 
and  their  legs  are  close  together,  and  not  separated  from 
each  other  by  a  broad  breast-bone  as  in  the  Buprestians ; 
and  the  hip-joints  are  long,  and  not  sunk  into  the  breast. 
In  the  principal  insects  of  this  family  the  antennae  are  short, 
and,  from  the  third  joint,  flattened,  widened,  and  saw-toothed 
on  the  inside ;  and  the  jaw-feelers  of  the  males  have  a  singu- 
lar fringed  piece  attached  to  them.  The  body  is  long,  nar- 
row, nearly  cylindrical,  and  not  so  firm  and  hard  as  in  the 
Elaters.  The  feet  are  five-jointed,  long,  and  slender. 

The  larvae  of  Lymexylon  and  Hylecoetw  are  very  odd- 
looking,  long,  and  slender  grubs.  The  head  is  small ;  the 
first  ring  is  very  much  hunched ;  and  on  the  top  of  the  last 
ring  there  is  a  fleshy  appendage,  resembling  a  leaf  in  Ly- 
mexylon,  and  like  a  straight  horn  in  Hyleccetus.  They  have 
six  short  legs  near  the  head.  These  grubs  inhabit  oak-trees, 
and  make  long  cylindrical  burrows  in  the  solid  wood.  They 
are  also  found  in  some  other  kinds  of  trees. 

Only  a  few  native  insects  of  this  family  are  known  to  me, 
and  these  fortunately  seem  to  be  rare  in  New 

Fig.  30.  ' 

England.  I  shall  describe  only  two  of  them. 
The  first  was  obtained  by  beating  the  limbs  of 
some  forest-tree.  It  may  be  called  Lymexylon 
sericeum  (Fig.  30),  the  silky  timber-beetle.  It 
is  of  a  chestnut-brown  color  above,  and  covered 
with  very  short  shining  yellowish  hairs,  which 
give  it  a  silky  lustre.  The  head  is  bowed  down  beneath 
the  fore  part  of  the  thorax ;  the  eyes  are  very  large,  and 
almost  meet  above  and  below  ;  the  antennae  are  brownish 
red,  widened  and  compressed  from  the  fourth  to  the  last 


THE    WEEVILS.  59 

joint  inclusive  ;  the  thorax  is  longer  than  wide,  rounded  be- 
fore, convex  above,  and  deeply  indented  on  each  side  of  the 
base  ;  the  wing-covers  are  convex,  gradually  taper  behind, 
and  do  not  cover  the  tip  of  the  abdomen  ;  the  under-side  of 
the  body,  and  the  legs,  are  brownish  red.  Its  length  is  from 
four  to  six  tenths  of  an  inch.  This  insect  was  unknown  to 
Mr.  Say,  and  does  not  seem  to  have  been  described  before. 

The  generical  name  Hylecoetus,  given  to  some  insects  of 
this  family,  means  a  sleeper  in  the  woods,  or  one  who  makes 
his  bed  in  the  forest.  We  have  one  hitherto  undescribed 
species,  which  may  be  called  Hylecoetus  Americanus,  the 
American  timber-beetle.  Its  head,  thorax,  abdomen,  and 
legs  are  light  brownish  red ;  the  wing-covers,  except  at  the 
base,  where  they  are  also  red,  and  the  breast,  between  the 
middle  and  hindmost  legs,  are  black.  The  head  is  not  bowed 
down  under  the  fore  part  of  the  thorax ;  the  eyes  are  small 
and  black,  and  On  the  middle  of  the  forehead  there  is  one 
small  reddish  eyelet,  a  character  unusual  among  beetles,  very 
few  of  which  have  eyelets ;  the  antennae  resemble  those  of 
Lymexylon  sericeum,  but  are  shorter ;  the  thorax  is  nearly 
square,  but  wider  than  long ;  and  on  each  wing-cover  there 
are  three  slightly  elevated  longitudinal  lines  or  ribs.  This 
beetle  is  about  four  tenths  of  an  inch  long.  It  appears  on 
the  wing  in  July. 

The  foregoing  beetles,  though  differing  much  in  form  and 
habits,  possess  one  character  in  common ;  namely,  their  feet 
are  five-jointed.  Those  that  follow  have  four-jointed  feet. 
In  this  great  section  of  Coleopterous  insects  are  arranged 
the  Weevil  tribe,  the  Capricorn  beetles  or  long-horned  bor- 
ers, and  various  kinds  of  leaf-eating  beetles,  all  of  which  are 
exceedingly  injurious  to  vegetation. 

So  great  is  the  extent  of  the  Weevil  tribe,*  and  so  imper- 
fectly known  is  the  history  of  a  large  part  of  our  native 

*  See  page  21. 


60  COLEOPTERA. 

species,  that  I  shall  be  obliged  to  confine  myself  to  an  ac- 
count of  a  few  only  of  the  most  remarkable  weevils,  and 
principally  those  that  have  become  most  known  for  their 
depredations.  Mr.  Kollar's  excellent  "  Treatise  on  Insects 
injurious  to  Gardeners,  Foresters,  and  Farmers,"  contains 
an  account  of  several  kinds  of  weevils  that  are  unknown 
in  this  country ;  and  indeed  but  few  resembling  them  have 
hitherto  been  discovered  here.  Should  future  observations 
lead  to  the  detection  in  our  gardens  and  orchards  of  any 
like  those  which  in  Europe  attack  the  vine,  the  plum,  the 
apple,  the  pear,  and  the  leaves  and  stems  of  fruit-trees,  the 
work  of  Mr.  Kollar  may  be  consulted  with  great  advantage. 

Weevils,  in  the  winged  state,  are  hard-shelled  beetles,  and 
are  distinguished  from  other  insects  by  having  the  fore  -part 
of  the  head  prolonged  into  a  broad  muzzle  or  a  longer  and 
more  slender  snout,  in  the  end  of  which  the  opening  of  the 
mouth  and  the  small  horny  jaws  are  placed.  The  flies  and 
moths  produced  from  certain  young  insects,  called  weevils 
by  mistake,  do  not  possess  these  characters,  and  their  larvae 
or  young  differ  essentially  from  those  of  the  true  weevils. 
The  latter  belong  to  a  group  called  RHYNCHOPHORID.E,  lit- 
erally, snout-bearers.  These  beetles  are  mostly  of  small  size. 
Their  antennae  are  usually  knobbed  at  the  end,  and  are 
situated  on  the  muzzle  or  snout,  on  each  side  of  which  there 
is  generally  a  short  groove  to  receive  the  base  of  the  antenna? 
when  the  latter  are  turned  backwards.  Their  feelers  are 
very  small,  and,  in  most  .kinds,  are  concealed  within  the 
mouth.  The  abdomen  is  often  of  an  oval  form,  and  wider 
than  the  thorax.  The  legs  are  short,  not  fitted  for  run- 
ning or  digging,  and  the  soles  of  the  feet  are  short  and 
flattened.  These  beetles  are  often  very  hurtful  to  plants, 
by  boring  into  the  leaves,  bark,  buds,  fruit,  and  seeds,  and 
feeding  upon  the  soft  substance  therein  contained.  They 
are  diurnal  insects,  and  love  to  come  out  of  their  retreats 
and  enjoy  the  sunshine.  Some  of  them  fly  well ;  but  others 
have  no  wings,  or  only  very  short  ones,  under  the  wing- 


THE    PEA-WEEVIL.  61 

cases,  and  are  therefore  unable  to  fly.  They  walk  slowly, 
and  being  of  a  timid  nature,  and  without  the  means  of  de- 
fence, when  alarmed  they  turn  back  their  antennaB  under 
the  snout,  fold  up  their  legs,  and  fall  from  the  plants  on 
which  they  live.  They  make  use  of  their  snouts  not  only 
in  feeding,  but  in  boring  holes,  into  which  they  afterwards 
drop  their  eggs. 

The  young  of  these  snout-beetles  are  mostly  short  fleshy 
grubs,  of  a  whitish  color,  and  without  legs.  The  covering  of 
their  heads  is  a  hard  shell,  and  the  rings  of  their  bodies  are 
very  convex  or  hunched,  by  both  of  which  characters  they 
are  easily  distinguished  from  the  maggots  of  flies.  Their 
jaws  are  strong  and  horny,  and  with  them  they  gnaw  those 
parts  of  plants  which  serve  for  their  food.  It  is  in  the  grub 
state  that  weevils  are  most  injurious  to  vegetation.  Some 
of  them  bore  into  and  spoil  fruits,  grain,  and  seeds ;  some 
attack  the  leaves  and  stems  of  plants,  causing  them  to  swell 
and  become  cankered;  while  others  penetrate  into  the  solid 
wood,  interrupt  the  course  of  the  sap,  and  occasion  the 
branch  above  the  seat  of  attack  to  wither  and  die.  Most 
of  these  grubs  are  transformed  within  the  vegetable  sub- 
stances upon  which  they  have  lived ;  some,  however,  when 
fully  grown,  go  into  the  ground,  where  they  are  changed 
to  pupae,  and  afterwards  to  beetles. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year,  we  often  find  among  seed- 
peas  many  that  have  holes  in  them  ;  and,  if  the  peas  have 
not  been  exposed  to  the  light  and  air,  we  see  a  little  in- 
sect peeping  out  of  each  of  these  holes,  and  waiting  appar- 
ently for  an  opportunity  to  come  forth  and  make  its  escape. 
If  we  turn  out  the  creature  from  its  cell,  we  perceive  it  to 
be  a  small  oval  beetle,  rather  more  than*  one  tenth  of  an 
inch  long,  of  a  rusty  black  color,  with  a  white  spot  on  the 
hinder  part  of  the  thorax,  four  or  five  white  dots  behind 
the  middle  of  each  whig-cover,  and  a  white  spot  shaped  like 
the  letter  T  on  the  exposed  extremity  of  the  body.  This 
little  insect  is  the  Bruchus  Pisi  of  Linnasus  (Fig.  31),  the 


62  COLEOPTERA. 

pea-Bruchus,  or  pea-weevil,  but  is  better  known  in  America 
by  the  incorrect  name  of  pea-bug.  The  original 
meaning  of  the  word  Bruchus  is  a  devourer,  and 
the  insects  to  which  it  is  applied  well  deserve  this 
name,  for,  in  the  larva  state,  they  devour  the  in- 
terior of  seeds,  often  leaving  but  little  more  than 
the  hull  untouched.  They  belong  to  a  family  of 
the  great  weevil  tribe  called  BRUCHID^E,  and  are  distin- 
guished from  other  weevils  by  the  following  characters.  The 
body  is  oval,  and  slightly  convex  ;  the  head  is  bent  down- 
wards, so  that  the  broad  muzzle,  when  the  insects  are  not 
eating,  rests  upon  the  breast ;  the  antennas  are  short,  straight, 
and  saw-toothed  within,  and  are  inserted  close  to  a  deep 
notch  in  each  of  the  eyes ;  the  feelers,  though  very  small, 
are  visible ;  the  wing-cases  do  not  cover  the  end  of  the  ab- 
domen ;  and  the  hindmost  thighs  are  very  thick,  and  often 
notched  or  toothed  on  the  under-side,  as  is  the  case  in  the 
pea-weevil.  The  habits  of  the  Bruchians  and  their  larva? 
are  similar  to  those  of  the  pea-weevil,  which  remain  to  be 
described.  It  may  be  well,  however,  to  state  here,  that  these 
beetles  frequent  the  leguminous  or  pod-bearing  plants,  such 
as  the  pea,  Gleditschia,  Robinia,  Mimosa,  Cassia,  &c.,  during 
and  immediately  after  the  flowering  season  ;  they  wound  the 
skin  of  the  tender  pods  of  these  plants,  and  lay  their  eggs 
singly  in  the  wounds.  Each  of  the  little  maggot-like  grubs 
hatched  therefrom  perforates  the  pod  and  enters  a  seed,  the 
pulp  of  which  suffices  for  its  food  till  fully  grown. 

Few  persons  while  indulging  in  the  luxury  of  early  green 
peas  are  aware  how  many  insects  they  unconsciously  swal- 
low. When  the  pods  are  carefully  examined,  small  discol- 
ored spots  may  be*  seen  within  them,  each  one  corresponding 
to  a  similar  spot  on  the  opposite  pea.  If  this  spot  in  the 
pea  be  opened,  a  minute  whitish  grub,  destitute  of  feet,  will 
be  found  therein.  It  is  the  weevil  in  its  larva  form,  which 
lives  upon  the  marrow  of  the  pea,  and  arrives  at  its  full 
size  by  the  time  that  the  pea  becomes  dry.  This  larva  or 


THE    PEA-WEEVIL.  63 

grub  then  bores  a  round  hole  from  the  hollow  in  the  centre 
of  the  pea  quite  to  the  hull,  but  leaves  the  latter,  and  gen- 
erally the  germ  of  the  future  sprout,  untouched.  Hence 
these  buggy  peas,  as  they  are  called  by  seedsmen  and  gar- 
deners, will  frequently  sprout  and  grow  when  planted.  The 
grub  is  changed  to  a  pupa  within  its  hole  in  the  pea  in  the 
autumn,  and  before  the  spring  casts  its  skin  again,  becomes 
a  beetle,  and  gnaws  a  hole  through  the  thin  hull  in  order  to 

'  O  O 

make  its  escape  into  the  air,  which  frequently  does  not  hap- 
pen before  the  peas  are  planted  for  an  early  crop.  After 
the  pea-vines  have  flowered,  and  while  the  pods  are  young 
and  tender,  and  the  peas  within  them  are  just  beginning  to 
swell,  the  beetles  gather  upon  them,  and  deposit  their  tiny 
eggs  singly  in  the  punctures  or  wounds  which  they  make 
upon  the  surface  of  the  pods.  This  is  done  mostly  during 
the  night,  or  in  cloudy  weather.  The  grubs,  as  soon  as 
they  are  hatched,  penetrate  the  pod  and  bury  themselves 
in  the  opposite  peas  ;  and  the  holes  through  which  they 
pass  into  the  seeds  are  so  fine  as  hardly  to  be  perceived, 
and  are  soon  closed.  Sometimes  every  pea  in  a  pod  will 
be  found  to  contain  a  weevil-grub;  and  so  great  has  been 
the  injury  to  the  crop,  in  some  parts  of  the  country,  that 
the  inhabitants  have  been  obliged  to  give  up  the  cultivation 
of  this  vegetable.*  These  insects  diminish  the  weight  of  the 
peas  in  which  they  lodge  nearly  one  half,  and  their  leavings 
are  fit  only  for  the  food  of  swine.  This  occasions  a  great 
loss  where  peas  are  raised  for  feeding  stock  or  for  family 
use,  as  they  are  in  many  places.  Those  persons  who  eat 
whole  peas  in  the  winter  after  they  are  raised,  run  the  risk 
of  eating  the  weevils  also ;  but  if  the  peas  are  kept  till  they 
are  a  year  old,  the  insects  will  entirely  leave  them.f 

The  pea-weevil  is  supposed  to  be  a  native  of  the  United 
States.     It  seems  to  have  been  first  noticed  in  Pennsylvania, 

*  See  Kalm's  Travels,  (8vo,  Warrington,  1770,)  Vol.  I.  p.  173. 
t  See  the  "  Boston  Cultivator  "  for  July  1,  1848,  for  an  interesting  account  of 
the  habits  of  these  insects,  by  Mr.  S.  Deane. 


64  COLEOPTERA. 

many  years  ago,  and  has  gradually  spread  from  thence  to 
New  Jersey,  New  York,  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island,  and 
Massachusetts.  It  is  yet  rare  in  New  Hampshire,  and  I 
believe  has  not  appeared  in  the  eastern  parts  of  Maine.  It 
is  unknown  in  the  North  of  Europe,  as  we  learn  from  the 
interesting  account  given  of  it  by  Kalm,  the  Swedish  trav- 
eller, who  tells  us  of  the  fear  with  which  he  was  filled  on 
finding  some  of  these  weevils  in  a  parcel  of  peas  which  he 
had  carried  home  from  America,  having  in  view  the  whole 
damage  which  his  beloved  country  would  have  suffered,  if 
only  two  or  three  of  these  noxious  insects  had  escaped  him. 
They  are  now  common  in  the  South  of  Europe  and  in  Eng- 
land, whither  they  may  have  been  carried  from  this  country. 
As  the  cultivated  pea  was  not  originally  a  native  of  Amer- 
ica, it  would  be  interesting  to  ascertain  what  plants  the  pea- 
weevil  formerly  inhabited.  That  it  should  have  preferred 
the  prolific  exotic  pea  to  any  of  our  indigenous  and  less 
productive  pulse,  is  not  a  matter  of  surprise,  analogous  facts 
being  of  common  occurrence  ;  but  that,  for  so  many  years,  a 
rational  method  for  checking  its  ravages  should  not  have  been 
practised,  is  somewhat  remarkable.  An  exceedingly  simple 
one  is  recommended  by  Deane,  but  to  be  successful  it  should 
be  universally  adopted.  It  consists  merely  in  keeping  seed- 
peas  in  tight  vessels  over  one  year  before  planting  them. 
Latreille  and  others  recommend  putting  them,  just  before 
they  are  to  be  planted,  into  hot  water  for  a  minute  or  two, 
by  which  means  the  weevils  will  be  killed,  and  the  sprouting 
of  the  peas  will  be  quickened.  The  insect  is  limited  to  a 
certain  period  for  depositing  its  eggs  ;  late-sown  peas  there- 
fore escape  its  attacks.  The  late  Colonel  Pickering  observed 
that  those  sown  in  Pennsylvania  as  late  as  the  20th  of  May 
were  entirely  free  from  weevils  ;  and  Colonel  Worthmgton, 
of  Rensselaer  County,  New  York,  who  sowed  his  peas  on 
the  10th  of  June,  six  years  in  succession,  never  found  an 
insect  in  them  during  that  period. 

The  crow  black-bird  is  said  to  devour  great  numbers  of 


THE    ATTELABIANS.  65 

the  beetles  in  the  spring  ;  and  the  Baltimore  oriole  or  hang- 
bird  splits  open  the  green  pods  for  the  sake  of  the  grubs  con- 
tained in  the  peas,  thereby  contributing  greatly  to  prevent 
the  increase  of  these  noxious  insects.  The  instinct  that  en- 
ables this  beautiful  bird  to  detect  the  lurking  grub,  concealed, 
as  the  latter  is,  within  the  pod  and  the  hull  of  the  pea,  is 
worthy  our  highest  admiration  ;  and  the  goodness  of  Provi- 
dence, which  has  endowed  it  with  this  faculty,  is  still  farther 
shown  in  the  economy  of  the  insects  also,  which,  through 
His  prospective  care,  are  not  only  limited  in  the  season  of 
their  depredations,  but  are  instinctively  taught  to  spare  the 
germs  of  the  peas,  thereby  securing  a  succession  of  crops 
for  our  benefit  and  that  of  then*  own  progeny. 

The  Attelabians  (ATTELABID^E)  are  distinguished  from  the 
Bruchians  by  the  form  and  greater  length  of  the  head,  which 
is  a  little  inclined,  and  ends  with  a  snout,  sometimes  short 
and  thick,  and  sometimes  long,  slender,  and  curved.  The 
eyes  also  are  round  and  entire,  and  the  antennae  are  usually 
implanted  near  the  middle  of  the  snout.  The  larvae  re- 
semble those  of  most  of  the  snout-beetles,  being  short,  thick, 
whitish  grubs,  with  horny  heads,  the  rings  of  the  body  very 
much  hunched,  and  deprived  of  legs,  the  place  of  which  is 
supplied  by  fleshy  warts  along  the  under-side  of  the  body. 
Some  of  the  European  insects  of  this  family  are  known  to  be 
very  injurious  to  the  leaves,  fruits,  and  seeds  of  plants. 

The  different  kinds  of  Attelabus  are  said  to  roll  up  the 
edges  of  leaves,  thereby  forming  little  nests,  of  the  shape  and 
size  of  thimbles,  to  contain  their  eggs,  and  to  shelter  their 
young,  which  afterwards  devour  the  leaves.  Fig.  32. 

The  larvae  and  habits  of  our  native  species 
are  unknown  to  me.  The  most  common  one 
here  is  the  Attelabus  analis  of  Weber  (Fig. 
32),  or  the  red-tailed  Attelabus.  It  is  one 
quarter  of  an  inch  long  from  the  tip  of  the 
thick  snout  to  the  end  of  the  body.  The 
head,  which  is  nearly  cylindrical,  the  antennae,  legs,  and 
9 


66  COLEOPTERA. 

middle  of  the  breast,  are  deep  blue-black  ;  the  thorax,  wing- 
covers,  and  abdomen  are  dull  red ;  the  wing-covers,  taken 
together,  are  nearly  square,  and  are  punctured  in  rows. 
This  beetle  is  found  on  the  leaves  of  oak-trees  in  June  and 
July. 

The  two-spotted  Attelabus,  Atteldbm  bipustulatus  of  Fabri- 
cius,  (Plate  IT. Fig.  6,)  is  also  found  on  oak-leaves  during  the 
same  season  as  the  preceding.  It  is  of  a  deep  blue-black 
color,  with  a  square  dull  red  spot  on  the  shoulders  of  each 
wing-cover.  It  measures  rather  more  than  one  eighth  of  an 
inch  in  length. 

Two  or  three  beetles  of  this  family  are  very  hurtful  to  the 
vine,  in  Europe,  by  nibbling  the  midrib  of  the  leaves,  so  that 
the  latter  may  be  rolled  up  to  form  a  retreat  for  their  young. 
They  also  puncture  the  buds  and  the  tender  fruit  of  this  and 
of  other  plants.  In  consequence  of  the  damage  caused  by 
them  and  by  their  larvae,  whole  vineyards  are  sometimes 
stripped  of  their  leaves,  and  fruit-trees  are  despoiled  of  their 
foliage  and  fruits.  These  insects  belong  to  the  genus  Ryn- 
chites, a  name  given  to  them  in  allusion  to  their  snouts.  I 
have  not  seen  any  of  them  on  vines  or  fruit-trees  in  this 
country.  The  largest  one  found  here  is  the  Rynchites  bicolor 
of  Fabricius,  or  two-colored  Rynchites.  This  insect  is  met 
with  in  June,  July,  and  August,  on  cultivated  and  wild 
rose-bushes,  sometimes  in  considerable  numbers.  That  they 
injure  these  plants  is  highly  probable,  but  the  nature  and 
extent  of  the  injury  is  not  certainly  known.  The  whole 
of  the  upper  side  of  this  beetle  is  red,  except  the  rather 
long  and  slender  snout,  which,  together  with  the  antenna?, 
legs,  and  under-side  of  the  body,  is  black ;  it  is  thickly 
covered  with  small  punctures,  and  is  slightly  downy,  and 
there  are  rows  of  larger  punctures  on  the  wing-covers.  It 
measures  one  fifth  of  an  inch  from  the  eyes  to  the  tip  of 
the  abdomen. 

The  grubs  of  many  kinds  of  Apion  destroy  the  seeds  of 
plants.  In  Europe  they  do  much  mischief  to  clover  in  this 


THE    BBENTHIANS.  67 

way.     They  receive  the  above  name  from  the  shape  of  the 

beetles,  which  resembles  that  of  a  pear.     Say's  Apion,  Apion 

Sayi  *  of  Schonherr  (Fig.  33),  is  a  minute  black 

species,  not  more  than  one  tenth  of  an  inch  long, 

exclusive  of  the  slender,  sharp-pointed  snout.    Its 

grubs  live  in  the  pods  of  the  common  wild-indigo 

bush,  Baptisia  tinctoria,  devouring  the  seeds.     A 

smaller  kind,  somewhat  like  it,  inhabits  the  pods 

and  eats  the  seeds  of  the  locust-tree,  or  Robinia 

pseudacada. 

Naturalists  place  here  a  little  group  of  snout-beetles,  called 
BRENTHIDJS,  or  Brenthians,  which  differ  entirely  in  their 
forms  from  the  other  weevils,  both  in  the  beetle  and  grub 
state.  They  have  a  long,  narrow,  and  cylindrical  body. 
The  snout  projects  from  the  head  in  a  straight  line  with 
the  body,  and  varies  in  shape  according  to  the  sex  of  the 
insect,  and  even  in  individuals  of  the  same  sex.  In  the 
males  it  is  broad  and  flat,  sometimes  as  long  as  the  thorax, 
sometimes  much  shorter,  and  it  is  widened  at  the  tip,  where 
are  situated  two  strong  nippers  or  upper  jaws  ;  in  the  females 
it  is  long,  very  slender,  and  not  enlarged  at  the  extremity, 
and  the  nippers  are  not  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  The 
feelers  are  too  small  to  be  seen.  The  antennae  are  short, 
straight,  slightly  thickened  towards  the  tip,  and  implanted 
before  the  prominent  eyes,  on  the  middle  of  the  snout  in 
the  males,  and  at  the  base  of  it  in  the  females.  The  legs 
are  short,  the  first  pair  being  the  largest,  and  the  hindmost 
unusually  distant  from  the  middle  pair.  These  insects  live 
under  the  bark  and  in  the  trunks  of  trees,  but  very  little 
has  been  published  respecting  their  habits  ;  and  the  only 
description  of  their  larvae  that  has  hitherto  appeared  is  con- 
tained in  my  first  Report  on  the  Insects  of  Massachusetts, 
printed  in  the  year  1838,  in  the  seventy-second  number  of 
the  "  Documents  of  the  House  of  Representatives." 

The  only  beetle  of  this  family  known  in  the  New  England 

*  Apion  rostrum,  Say. 


68  COLEOPTERA. 

States  is  the  Brenihm  (Arrhenodes)  septemtrwnis  *  of  Herbst 
(Fig.  34),  the  Northern  Brenthus,  so  named  because  most 
Fig.  34.  of  the  other  species  are  tropical  insects.  It 
is  of  a  mahogany-brown  color  ;  the  wing-cases 
are  somewhat  darker,  ornamented  with  nar- 
row tawny-yellow  spots,  and  marked  with  deep 
farrows,  the  sides  of  which  are  punctured  ;  the 
thorax  is  nearly  egg-shaped,  broadest  behind 
the  middle,  and  highly  polished.  The  com- 
mon length  of  this  insect,  including  the  snout,  is  six  tenths 
of  an  inch ;  but  much  larger  as  well  as  smaller  specimens 
frequently  occur.  The  Northern  Brenthus  inhabits  the  white 
oak,  on  the  trunks  and  under  the  bark  of  which  it  may  be 
found  in  June  and  July,  having  then  completed  its  trans- 
formations. The  female,  when  about  to  lay  her  eggs,  punc- 
tures the  bark  with  her  slender  snout,  and  drops  an  egg  in 
each  hole  thus  made.  The  grub,  as  soon  as  it  is  hatched, 
bores  into  the  solid  wood,  forming  a  cylindrical  passage, 
which  it  keeps  clear  by  pushing  its  castings  out  of  the  orifice 
of  the  hole,  as  fast  as  they  accumulate.  These  castings  or 
chips  are  like  very  fine  sawdust;  and  the  holes  made  by 
the  insects  are  easily  discovered  by  the  dust  around  them. 
When  fully  grown,-  the  grub  measures  rather  more  than  an 
inch  in  length,  and  not  quite  one  tenth  of  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness. It  is  nearly  cylindrical,  being  only  a  little  flattened 
on  the  under-side,  and  is  of  a  whitish  color,  except  the  last 
segment,  which  is  dark  chestnut-brown.  Each  of  the  first 
three  segments  is  provided  with  a  pair  of  legs,  and  there 
is  a  fleshy  prop-leg  under  the  hinder  extremity  of  the  body. 
The  last  segment  is  of  a  horny  consistence,  and  is  obliquely 
hollowed  at  the  end,  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of  gouge  or  scoop, 
the  edges  of  which  are  furnished  with  little  notches  or  teeth. 
It  is  by  means  of  this  singular  scoop  that  the  grub  shovels 
the  minute  grains  of  the  wood  out  of  its  burrow.  The  pupa 

*  A  mistake  undoubtedly  for  seplemlrionalis.     It  is  the  Brenlhus  maxillosus  of 
Olivier  and  Schonherr. 


THE    CURCULIONIANS.  69 

is  met  with  in  the  burrow  formed  by  the  larva.  It  is  of 
a  yellowish- white  color;  the  head  is  bent  under  the  thorax, 
and  the  snout  rests  on  the  breast  between  the  folded  legs 
and  wings ;  the  back  is  furnished  with  transverse  rows  of 
little  thorns  or  sharp  teeth,  and  there  are  two  larger  thorns 
at  the  extremity  of  the  body.  These  minute  thorns  probably 
enable  the  pupa  to  move  towards  the  mouth  of  its  burrow 
when  it  is  about  to  be  transformed,  and  may  serve  also  to 
keep  its  body  steady  during  its  exertions  in  casting  off  its 
pupa  skin.  These  insects  are  most  abundant  in  trees  that 
have  been  cut  down  for  timber  or  fuel,  which  are  generally 
attacked  during  the  first  summer  after  they  are  felled  ;  it 
has  also  been  ascertained  that  living  trees  do  not  always 
escape,  but  those  that  are  in  full  vigor  are  rarely  perforated 
by  grubs  of  this  kind.  The  credit  of  discovering  the  habits 
and  transformations  of  the  Northern  Brenthus  is  due  to  the 
Rev.  L.  W.  Leonard,  of  Dublin,  New  Hampshire,  who  has 
favored  me  with  specimens  in  all  their  forms.  This  insect 
is  now  known  to  inhabit  nearly  all  the  States  in  the  Union. 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  Brenthians  ought  to  be  placed 
at  the  end  of  the  weevil  tribe ;  but  I  have  not  ventured  to 
alter  the  arrangement  generally  adopted. 

The  rest  of  the  weevils  are  short  and  thick  beetles,  differ- 
ing from  all  the  preceding  in  their  antenna,  which  are  bent 
or  elbowed  near  the  middle,  the  first  joint  being  much  longer 
than  the  rest.  Their  feelers  are  not  perceptible.  They  be- 
long to  the  family  CURCULIONID^E,  so  called  from  the  princi- 
pal genus,  Curculio,  a  name  given  by  the  Romans  to  the  corn- 
weevil.  The  Curculionians  vary  in  the  form,  length,  and 
direction  of  their  snouts.  Those  belonging  to  the  old  genus 
Curculio  have  short  and  thick  snouts,  at  the  extremity  of 
which,  and  near  to  the  sides  of  the  mouth,  the  antennae  are 
implanted ;  those  to  which  the  name  of  Ekynchcenus  was  for- 
merly applied  have  longer  and  more  slender  snouts,  usually 
bearing  the  antennae  on  or  just  behind  the  middle  ;  and  the 
third  great  genus,  called  Calandra,  contains  long-snouted 
10 


70  COLEOPTERA. 

Iwetles,  whose  antonnaB  are  fixed  just  before  the  eyes  at  the 
base  of  the  snout. 

Curculio  (Panddetdu*)  hilaris  of  Herbst  (Fig.  35),  which 
we  may  call  the  gray-sided  Curculio,  is  a  little  pale-brown 
beetle,  variegated  with  gray  upon  the  sides.  Its 
snout  is  short,  broad,  and  slightly  furrowed  in 
the  middle  ;  there  are  three  blackish  stripes  on 
the  thorax,  between  which  are  two  of  a  light 
gray  color  ;  the  wing-covers  have  a  broad  stripe 
of  light  gray  on  the  outer  side,  edged  within  by 
a  slender  blackish  line,  and  sending  two  short 
oblique  branches  almost  across  each  wing-cover ; 
and  the  fore-legs  are  much  larger  than  the  others.  The 
length  of  this  beetle  varies  from  one  eighth  to  one  fifth  of 
an  inch.  The  larva  lives  in  the  trunks  of  the  white  oak,  on 
which  the  beetles  may  be  found  about  the  last  of  May  and 
the  beginning  of  June. 

The  Pales  weevil,  Curculio  (Hylobiui)  Pales  of  Herbst 
(Fig.  36),  is  a  beetle  of  a  deep  chestnut-brown 
color,  having  a  line  and  a  few  dots  of  a  yellow- 
ish-white color  on  the  thorax,  and  many  small 
yellowish-white  spots  sprinkled  over  the  wing- 
covers.  All  the  thighs  are  toothed  beneath, 
and  the  snout  is  slender,  cylindrical,  inclined, 
and  nearly  as  long  as  the  thorax.  On  account 
of  the  length  of  the  snout  this  insect  has  been 
placed  in  the  genus  Rhynchcenus  by  some  nafc- 
uralists  ;  but  the  antennas  are  implanted  before  the  middle  of 
the  snout,  and  not  far  from  the  sides  of  the  mouth.  This 
beetle  measures  from  two  to  three  eighths  of  an  inch  in 
length,  exclusive  of  the  snout.  It  may  be  found  in  great 
abundance,  in  May  and  •  June,  on  board-fences,  the  sides 
of  new  wooden  buildings,  and  on  the  trunks  of  pine-trees. 
I  have  discovered  them,  in  considerable  numbers,  under 
the  bark  of  the  pitch-pine.  The  larvae,  which  do  not  mate- 
rially differ  from  those  of  other  weevils,  inhabit  these  and 


THE    PALES    WEEVIL.  71 

probably  other  kinds  of  pines,  doing  sometimes  immense 
injury  to  them.  Wilson,  the  ornithologist,  describes  the 
depredations  of  these  insects,  in  his  account  *  of  the  ivory- 
billed  woodpecker,  in  the  following  words  :  "  Would  it  be 
believed  that  the  larvae  of  an  insect,  or  fly,  no  larger  than 
a  grain  of  rice,  should  silently,  and  in  one  season,  destroy 
some  thousand  acres  of  pine-trees,  many  of  them  from  two 
to  three  feet  in  diameter  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
high  !  Yet  whoever  passes  along  the  high  road  from  George- 
town to  Charleston,  in  South  Carolina,  about  twenty  miles 
from  the  former  place,  can  have  striking  and  melancholy 
proofs  of  the  fact.  In  some  places  the  whole  woods,  as  far 
as  you  can  see  around  you,  are  dead,  stripped  of  the  bark, 
their  wintry-looking  arms  and  bare  trunks  bleaching  in  the 
sun,  and  tumbling  in  ruins  before  every  blast,  presenting  a 
frightful  picture  of  desolation.  Until  some  effectual  prevent- 
ive or  more  complete  remedy  can  be  devised  against  these 
insects,  and  their  larvae,  I  would  humbly  suggest  the  pro- 
priety of  protecting,  and  receiving  with  proper  feelings  of 
gratitude,  the  services  of  this  and  the  whole  tribe  of  wood- 
peckers, letting  the  odium  of  guilt  fall  to  its  proper  owners." 
Some  years  ago  Mr.  Nuttall  kindly  procured  for  me,  near 
the  place  above  mentioned,  specimens  of  the  destructive  in- 
sects referred  to  by  Wilson.  They  were  of  three  kinds. 
Those  in  greatest  abundance  were  the  Pales  weevil.  One 
of  the  others  was  a  larger,  darker-colored  weevil,  without 
white  spots  on  it,  and  named  Hylobius  pidvorus  by  Ger- 
mar  and  Schb'nherr,  or  the  pitch-eating  weevil ;  it  is  sel- 
dom found  in  Massachusetts.  The  third  was  the  white-pine 
weevil,  to  be  next  described.  It  is  said  that  these  beetles 
puncture  the  buds  and  the  tender  bark  of  the  small  branches, 
and  feed  upon  the  juice,  and  that  the  young  shoots  are  often 
so  much  injured  by  them  as  to  die  and  break  off  at  the 
wounded  part.  But  it  is  in  the  larva  state  that  they  are 
found  to  be  most  hurtful  to  the  pines.  The  larvae  live  under 

*  American  Ornithology,  Vol.  IV.  p.  21. 


72  COLEOPTERA. 

the  bark,  devouring  its  soft  inner  surface,  and  the  tender, 
newly  formed  wood.     When  they  abound,  as  they  do  in 
some  of  our  pine  forests,  they  separate  large  pieces  of  bark 
from  the  wood  beneath,  in  consequence  of  which  the  part 
perishes,  and  the  tree  itself  soon  languishes  and  dies. 
The  white-pine  weevil,  Rhynchcenus  (Pissodes*)   Strobi* 
.  of  Professor  Peck  (Fig.  37),  unites  with 

the  two  preceding  insects  in  destroying 
the  pines  of  this  country,  as  above  de- 
scribed. But  it  employs  also  another 
mode  of  attack  on  the  white  pine,  ot 
which  an  interesting  account  is  given  by 
the  late  Professor  Peck,  the  first  describer 
of  the  insect,  in  the  fourth  volume  of  the 
"  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Repository  and  Journal,"  ac- 
companied by  figures  of  the  insect.  The  lofty  stature  of  the 
white  pine,  and  the  straightness  of  its  trunk,  depend,  as  Pro- 
fessor Peck  has  remarked,  upon  the  constant  health  of  its 
leading  shoot,  for  a  long  succession  of  years  ;  and  if  this  shoot 
be  destroyed,  the  tree  becomes  stunted  and  deformed  in  its 
subsequent  growth.  This  accident  is  not  uncommon,  and  is 
caused  by  the  ravages  of  the  white-pine  weevil. 

This  beetle  is  oblong  oval,  rather  slender,  of  a  brownish 
color,  thickly  punctured,  and  variegated  with  small  brown, 
rust-colored,  and  whitish  scales.  There  are  two  white  dots 
on  the  thorax ;  the  scutel  is  white ;  and  on  the  wing-covers, 
which  are  punctured  in  rows,  there  is  a  whitish  transverse 
band  behind  the  middle.  The  snout  is  longer  than  the 
thorax,  slender,  and  a  very  little  inclined.  The  length  of 
this  insect,  exclusive  of  its  snout,  varies  from  one  fifth  to 
three  tenths  of  an  inch.  Its  eggs  are  deposited  on  the  lead- 
ing shoot  of  the  pine,  probably  immediately  under  the  outer 
bark.  The  larvae,  hatched  therefrom,  bore  into  the  shoot  in 
various  directions,  and  probably  remain  in  the  wood  more 
than  one  year.  When  the  feeding  state  is  passed,  but  before 

*  Pissodes  neinorensis  of  Gerniar. 


THE    WHITE-PINE    WEEVIL.  73 

the  insect  is  changed  to  a  pupa,  it  gnaws  a  passage  from 
the  inside  quite  to  the  bark,  which,  however,  remaining  un- 
touched, serves  to  shelter  the  little  borers  from  the  weather. 
After  they  have  changed  to  beetles,  they  have  only  to  cut 
away  the  outer  bark  to  make  their  escape.  They  begin  to 
come  out  early  in  September,  and  continue  to  leave  the  wood 
through  that  month  and  a  part  of  October.  The  shoot  at 
this  time  will  be  found  pierced  with  small  round  holes  on 
all  sides ;  sometimes  thirty  or  forty  may  be  counted  on  one 
shoot.  Professor  Peck  has  observed  that  an  unlimited  in- 
crease is  not  permitted  to  this  destructive  insect;  and  that 
if  it  were,  our  forests  would  not  produce  a  single  mast.  One 
of  the  means  appointed  to  restrain  the  increase  of  the  white- 
pine  weevil  is  a  species  of  ichneumon-fly,  endued  with  sa- 
gacity to  discover  the  retreat  of  the  larva,  the  body  of  which 
it  stings,  and  therein  deposits  an  egg.  From  the  latter  a  grub 
is  hatched,  which  devours  the  larva  of  the  weevil,  and  is 
subsequently  transformed  to  a  four-winged  fly,  in  the  habita- 
tion prepared  for  it.  The  most  effectual  remedy  against  the 
increase  of  these  weevils  is  to  cut  off  the  shoot  in  August, 
or  as  soon  as  it  is  perceived  to  be  dead,  and  commit  it,  with 
its  inhabitants,  to  the  fire. 

Such  is  the  substance  of  Professor  Peck's  history  of  this 
insect ;  to  which  may  be  added,  that  the  beetles  are  found  in 
great  numbers,  in  April  and  May,  on  fences,  buildings,  and 
pine-trees  ;  that  they  probably  secrete  themselves  during  the 
winter  in  the  crevices  of  the  bark,  or  about  the  roots  of  the 
trees,  and  deposit  their  eggs  in  the  spring ;  or  they  may  not 
usually  leave  the  trees  before  spring. 

Perhaps  the  method  used  for  decoying  the  pine-eating  bee- 
tles in  Europe  may  be  practised  here  with  advantage.  It 
consists  in  sticking  some  newly-cut  branches  of  pine-trees  in 
the  ground,  in  an  open  place,  during  the  season  when  the 
insects  are  about  to  lay  their  eggs.  In  a  few  hours  these 
branches  will  be  covered  with  the  beetles,  which  may  be 
shaken  into  a  cloth  and  burned. 


74  COLEOPTERA. 

There  are  some  of  the  long-snouted  weevils  which  inhabit 
nuts  of  various  kinds.  Hence  they  are  called  nut-weevils, 
and  belong  chiefly  to  the  modern  genus  Balaninm,  a  name 
that  signifies  living  or  being  in  a  nut.  The  common  nut- 
weevil  of  Europe  lays  her  eggs  in  the  hazelnut  and  filbert, 
having  previously  bored  a  hole  for  that  purpose  with  her 
long  and  slender  snout,  while  the  fruit  is  young  and  tender, 
and  dropping  only  one  egg  in  each  nut  thus  pricked.  A 
little  grub  is  soon  hatched  from  the  egg,  and  begins  immedi- 
ately to  devour  the  soft  kernel.  Notwithstanding  this,  the 
nut  continues  to  increase  in  size,  and,  by  the  time  that  it  is 
ripe  and  ready  to  fall,  its  little  inhabitant  also  comes  to  its 
growth,  gnaws  a  round  hole  in  the  shell,  through  which  it 
afterwards  makes  its  escape,  and  burrows  in  the  ground. 
Here  it  remains  unchanged  through  the  winter,  and  in  the 
following  summer,  having  completed  its  transformations,  it 
comes  out  of  the  ground  a  beetle. 

In  this  country  weevil-grubs  are  very  common  in  hazel- 
nuts,  chestnuts,  and  acorns  ;  but  I  have  not  hitherto  been 
able  to  rear  any  of  them  to  the  beetle 

y          -i^  i/ 

state.  The  most  common  of  the  nut-wee- 
vils known  to  me  appears  to  be  the  Rliyn- 
chcenus  {Balaninus)  nasicus  of  Say  (Fig. 
38),  the  long-snouted  nut-weevil.  Its  form 
is  oval,  and  its  ground  color  dark  brown  ; 
but  it  is  clothed  with  very  short  rust-yellow 
flattened  hairs,  which  more  or  less  conceal 
its  original  color,  and  are  disposed  in  spots 
on  its  wing-covers.  The  snout  is  brown 
and  polished,  longer  than  the  whole  body,  as  slender  as  a 
bristle,  of  equal  thickness  from  one  to  the  other,  and  slightly 
curved ;  it  bears  the  long  elbowed  antennae,  which  are  as 
fine  as  a  hair,  just  behind  the  middle.  This  beetle  measures 
nearly  three  tenths  of  an  inch  in  length,  exclusive  of  the 
snout.  Specimens  have  been  found  paired  upon  the  haxel- 
nut-trce  in  July,  at  which  time  probably  the  eggs  are  laid. 


THE    CURCULIO,    OR    PLUM-WEEVIL.  75 

Others  appear  in  September  and  October,  and  must  pass  the 
winter  concealed  in  some  secure  place.  From  its  size  and 
resemblance  to  the  nut-weevil  of  Europe,  this  is  supposed 
to  be  the  species  which  attacks  the  hazelnut  here. 

It  is  now  well  known  that  the  falling  of  unripe  plums  is 
caused  by  little  whitish  grubs,  which  bore  into  the  fruit. 
The  loss  occasioned  by  insects  of  this  kind  is  frequently 
very  great ;  and  in  some  of  our  gardens  and  orchards  the 
crop  of  plums  is  often  entirely  ruined  by  the  depredations 
of  the  grubs,  which  have  been  ascertained  to  be  the  larvae  or 
vouno-  of  a  small  beetle  of  the  weevil 

J  .        &  Fig.  39.  Fig.  40. 

tribe,  called  Rhynchcenus  {Conotrache- 
lus)  Nenuphar,*  (Figs.  39  and  40,)  the 
Nenuphar  or  plum-weevil.  This  wee- 
vil, or  curculio,  as  it  is  often  called,  is 
a  little  rough,  dark-brown,  or  blackish 
beetle,  looking  like  a  dried  bud  when  it 
is  shaken  from  the  trees,  which  resem- 
blance is  increased  by  its  habit  of  drawing  up  its  legs  and 
bending  its  snout  close  to  the  lower  side  of  its  body,  and 
remaining  for  a  time  without  motion,  and  seemingly  lifeless. 
It  is  from  three  twentieths  to  one  fifth  of  an  inch  long,  ex- 
clusive of  the  curved  snout,  which  is  rather  longer  than  the 
thorax,  and  is  bent  under  the  breast,  between  the  fore  legs, 
when  at  rest.  Its  color  is  a  dark  brown,  variegated  with 
spots  of  white,  ochre-yellow,  and  black.  The  thorax  is  un- 
even ;  the  wing-covers  have  several  short  ridges  upon  them, 
those  on  the  middle  of  the  back  forming  two  considerable 

O 

humps,  of  a  black  color,  behind  which  there  is  a  wide  band 
of  ochre-yellow  and  white.  Each  of  the  thighs  has  two 
little  teeth  on  the  under-side.  I  have  found  these  beetles  as 
early  as  the  30th  of  March,  and  as  late  as  the  10th  of  June, 
and  at  various  intermediate  times,  according  with  the  for- 

*  First  described  by  Herbst,  in  1797,  under  the  name  of  Curculio  Nenuphar ; 
Fabricius  redescribed  it  under  that  of  Rhynchcenus  Argula ;  and  Dejean  has  named 
it  Conotrachelus  variegatus. 


76  COLEOPTERA. 

wardness  or  backwardness  of  vegetation  in  the  spring,  and 
have  frequently  caught  them  flying  in  the  middle  of  the  day. 
They  begin  to  sting  the  plums  as  soon  as  the  fruit  is  set, 
and  continue  their  operations  to  the  middle  of  July,  or,  as 
some  say,  till  the  first  of  August.  In  doing  this,  the  beetle 
first  makes  a  small  crescent-shaped  incision,  with  its  snout, 
in  the  skin  of  the  plum,  and  then,  turning  round,  inserts 
an  egg  in  the  wound.  From  one  plum  it  goes  to  another, 
until  its  store  of  eggs  is  exhausted ;  so  that,  where  these 
beetles  abound,  not  a  plum  will  escape  being  stung.  Very 
rarely  is  there  more  than  one  incision  made  in  the  same 
fruit ;  and  the  weevil  lays  only  a  single  egg  therein.  The 
insect  hatched  from  this  egg  is  a  little  whitish  grub,  desti- 
tute of  feet,  and  very  much  like  a  maggot  in  appearance, 
except  that  it  has  a  distinct,  rounded,  light-brown  head.  It 
immediately  burrows  obliquely  into  the  fruit,  and  finally  pene- 
trates to  the  stone.  The  irritation,  arising  from  the  wounds 
and  from  the  gnawings  of  the  grubs,  causes  the  young  fruit 
to  become  gummy,  diseased,  and  finally  to  drop  before  it 
is  ripe.  Meanwhile,  the  grub  comes  to  its  growth,  and,  im- 
mediately after  the  falling  of  the  fruit,  quits  the  latter  and 
burrows  in  the  ground.  This  may  occur  at  various  times 
between  the  middle  of  June  and  of  August ;  and,  in  about 
three  weeks  afterwards,  the  insect  completes  its  transforma- 
tions, and  comes  out  of  the  ground  in  the  beetle  form. 

The  earliest  account  of  the  habits  of  the  plum  weevil,  that 
I  have  seen,  was  written  by  Dr.  James  Tilton,  of  Wilming- 
ton, Delaware.  It  will  be  found,  under  the  article  Fruit,  in 
Dr.  James  Mease's  edition  of  Willich's  "  Domestic  Encyclo- 
paedia," published  at  Philadelphia  in  1803.  The  same  ac- 
count has  been  reprinted  in  the  "  Georgic  Papers  for  1809  " 
of  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Society,  and  in  other 
works.  According  to  Dr.  Tilton,  this  insect  attacks  not  only 
nectarines,  plums,  apricots,  and  cherries,  but  also  peaches, 
apples,  pears,  and  quinces,  the  truth  of  which  has  been  abun- 
dantly confirmed  by  later  writers.  I  have  myself  ascertained 


THE    CURCULIO,    OR    PLUM-WEEVIL.  77 

that  the  cherry-worm,  so  called,  which  is  very  common  in  this 
fruit  when  gathered  from  the  tree,  produces,  at  maturity,  the 
same  curculio  as  that  of  the  plum ;  but,  unlike  the  latter, 
it  rarely  causes  the  stung  cherry  to  drop  prematurely  to  the 
ground.  The  late  Dr.  Joel  Burnett,  of  Southborough,  the 
author  of  two  interesting  articles  on  the  plum-weevil,*  sent 
to  me,  in  the  summer  of  1839,  some  specimens  of  the  in- 
sect, in  the  chrysalis  state,  which  were  raised  from  the  small 
grubs  in  apples ;  and,  since  that  time,  I  have  seen  the  same 
grubs  in  apples,  pears,  and  quinces,  in  this  vicinity.  They 
are  not  to  be  mistaken  for  the  more  common  apple-worms, 
from  which  they  are  easily  distinguished  by  their  inferior 
size,  and  by  their  want  of  feet.  In  1831,  Mr.  Thomas  Say, 
in  a  note  on  the  plum-weevil,  stated  that  it  "  depredates  on 
the  plum  and  peach  and  other  stone-fruits ; "  and  that  his 
"  kinsman,  the  late  excellent  William  Bartram,  informed  him 
it  also  destroys  the  English  walnut  in  this  country."  f 

Observers  do  not  agree  concerning  some  points  in  the 
economy  of  this  insect,  such  as  the  time  required  for  it  to 
complete  its  transformations,  the  condition  and  place  wherein 
it  passes  the  winter,  and  the  agency  of  the  curculio  in  pro- 
ducing the  warts  or  excrescences  on  plum  and  cherry  trees. 
The  average  time  passed  by  the  insect  in  the  ground,  during 
the  summer,  has-  appeared  to  me  to  be  about  three  weeks ; 
but  the  transformation  may  be  accelerated  or  retarded  by 
temperature  and  situation.  It  has  also  been  my  impression 
that  the  late  broods  remained  in  the  ground  all  winter,  and 
that  from  them  are  produced  the  beetles  which  sting  the  fruit 
in  the  following  spring.  Dr.  Burnett's  observations  coincide 
with  this  opinion.  According  to  him,  the  insect  "under- 
goes transformation  in  about  fifteen  or  twenty  days,  in  the 
month  of  June  or  fore  part  of  July ;  but  all  the  larvae,  (as 

*  New  England  Farmer,  Vol.  XVIII.  p.  304,  March  11, 1840;  and  Hovey's  Mag- 
azine of  Horticulture,  Vol.  IX.  p.  281,  August,  1843,  reprinted  in  the  New  England 
Farmer,  Vol.  XXII.  p.  49,  August  1C,  1843,  and  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Horticultural  Society,  for  1843-1846,  p.  18. 

t  Descriptions  of  Curculionites,  p.  19  (8vo,  New  Harmony,  1831). 
10* 


78  COLEOPTERA. 

far  as  he  had  observed,)  that  go  into  the  earth  as  late  as  the 
20th  of  July,  do  not  ascend  that  season,  but  remain  there  in 
the  pupa  stage  until  next  spring."  Dr.  Tilton,  in  his  account 
of  the  curculio,  stated  that  "  it  remains  in  the  earth,  in  the 
form  of  a  grub,  during  the  winter,  ready  to  be  metamorphosed 
into  a  beetle  as  the  spring  advances."  According  to  M.  H. 
Simpson,  Esq.,  of  Saxonville,  the  larva?,  or  grubs,  "  go  through 
their  chrysalis  state  in  three  weeks  after  going  into  the  ground, 
and  remain  in  a  torpid  state  through  the  season,  unless  the 
earth  is  disturbed."  *  Dr.  E.  Sanborn,  of  Andover,  has  come 
to  entirely  different  conclusions,  from  a  series  of  experiments 
made  upon  these  insects.  It  is  his  opinion  that  they  do  not 
remain  in  the  ground,  during  the  winter,  either  in  the  grub 
or  in  the  beetle  state  ;  but  that,  under  all  conditions  of  place 
and  temperature,  "  in  about  six  weeks  "  after  they  have  en- 
tered the  earth  "  they  return  to  the  surface  perfectly  finished, 
winged,  and  equipped  for  the  work  of  destruction  " ;  and  that, 
"  as  neither  the  curculio  nor  its  grub  burrows  in  the  ground 
during  the  winter,  the  common  practice  of  guarding  against 
its  ravages,  by  various  operations  in  the  soil,  rests  upon  a 
false  theory,  and  is  productive  of  no  valuable  results. "f  If 
these  conclusions  be  correct,  these  insects  must  pass  the  win- 
ter above  ground,  in  the  beetle  state,  and  the  place  of  their 
concealment,  during  this  season,  remains  to  be  discovered. 

In  July,  1818,  Professor  W.  D.  Peck  obtained,  from  the 
warty  excrescences  of  the  cherry-tree,  the  same  insects  that 
he  "  had  long  known  to  occasion  the  fall  of  peaches,  apricots, 
and  plums,  before  they  had  acquired  half  their  growth"; 
and,  not  aware  that  this  species  had  already  received  a  scien- 
tific name,  he  called  it  Khynchcenus  Cerasi,  the  cherry-weevil. 
His  account  of  it,  with  a  figure,  may  be  seen  in  the  fifth 
volume  of  the  "  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Repository  and 

*  Hovey's  Magazine,  Vol.  XVI.  p.  267,  June,  1860. 

t  See  Dr.  Sanborn's  interesting  communications  on  the  Plum  Curculio,  in  the 
Boston  Cultivator,  for  May  19,  1849,  and  July  13,  1860,  and  in  the  Puritan  Re- 
corder for  May  2,  and  the  Cambridge  Chronicle  for  May  30,  1850. 


CURCULIO    FOUND    IN    WARTS.  79 

Journal."  The  grubs,  found  by  Professor  Peck  in  the  tumors 
of  the  cherry-tree,  went  into  the  ground  on  the  6th  of  July, 
and  on  the  30th  of  the  same  month,  or  twenty-four  days 
from  their  leaving  the  bark,  the  perfect  insects  began  to  rise, 
and  were  soon  ready  to  deposit  their  eggs. 

The  plum,  still  more  than  the  cherry  tree,  is  subject  to  a 
disease  of  the  small  limbs,  that  shows  itself  in  the  form  of  large 
irregular  warts,  of  a  black  color.  Professor  Peck  referred 

O  ' 

this  disease,  as  well  as  that  of  the  cherry-tree,  to  the  agency 
of  insects,  but  was  uncertain  whether  to  attribute  it  to  his 
cherry-weevil  "  or  to  another  species  of  the  same  genus." 
It  was  his  opinion,  that  "  the  seat  of  the  disease  is  in  the  bark. 
The  sap  is  diverted  from  its  regular  course,  and  is  absorbed 
entirely  by  the  bark,  which  is  very  much  increased  in  thick- 
ness ;  the  cuticle  bursts,  the  swelling  becomes  irregular,  and 
is  formed  into  black  lumps,  with  a  cracked,  uneven,  granu- 
lated surface.  The  wood,  besides  being  deprived  of  its  nutri- 
ment, is  very  much  compressed,  and  the  branch  above  the 
tumor  perishes."  Dr.  Burnett  rejected  the  idea  of  the  insect 
origin  of  this  disease,  which  he  considered  as  a  kind  of  fungus, 
arising  in  the  alburnum,  from  an  obstruction  of  the  vessels, 
and  bursting  through  the  bark,  which  became  involved  in  the 

O  G  ' 

disease.  These  tumors  appear  to  me  to  begin  between  the 
bark  and  wood.  They  are  at  first  soft,  cellular,  and  full  of 
sap,  but  finally  become  hard  and  woody.  But  whether 
caused  by  vitiated  sap,  as  Dr.  Burnett  supposed,  or  by  the 
irritating  punctures  of  insects,  which  is  the  prevailing  opin- 
ion, or  whatever  be  their  '  origin  and  seat,  they  form  an 
appropriate  bed  for  the  growth  of  numerous  little  parasitical 
plants  or  fungi,  to  which  botanists  give  the  name  of  Sphceria 
morbosa.  These  plants  are  the  minute  black  granules  that 
cover  the  surface  of  the  wart,  and  give  to  it  its  black  color. 
When  fully  matured,  they  are  filled  with  a  gelatinous  fluid, 
and  have  a  little  pit  or  depression  on  their  summit.  They 
come  to  their  growth,  discharge  their  volatile  seed,  and  die 
in  the  course  of  a  single  summer ;  and  with  them  perishes 


80  COLEOPTERA. 

the  tumor  whence  they  sprung.  It  is  worthy  of  remark, 
that  they  are  sure  to  appear  on  these  warts  in  due  time,  and 
that  they  are  never  found  on  any  other  part  of  the  tree. 

Insects  are  often  found  in  the  warts  of  the  plum-tree,  as 
well  as  in  those  of  the  cherry-tree.  The  larvaa  of  a  minute 
Cynips,  or  gall-fly,  are  said  to  inhabit  them,*  but  have  never 
fallen  under  my  observation.  The  naked  caterpillars  of  a 
minute  moth  are  very  common  in  the  warts  of  the  plum- 
tree,  in  which  also  are  sometimes  found  other  insects,  among 
them  little  grubs  from  which  genuine  plum-weevils  have  been 
raised.  This  is  a  very  interesting  fact  in  the  economy  of 
the  plum-weevil.  It  may  be  questioned,  however,  whether 
it  be  a  mere  mistake  of  instinct  that  leads  the  curculio  to 
lay  its  eggs  in  the  warts  of  the  plum-tree,  or  a  special  pro- 
vision of  a  wise  Providence  to  secure  thereby  a  succession 
of  the  species  in  unfruitful  seasons. 

The  following,  among  other  remedies  that  have  been  sug- 
gested, may  be  found  useful  in  checking  the  ravages  of  the 
plum-weevil.  Let  the  trees  be  briskly  shaken  or  suddenly 
jarred  every,  morning  and  evening  during  the  time  that  the 
insects  appear  in  the«beetle  form,  and  are  engaged  in  laying 
their  eggs.  When  thus  disturbed,  they  contract  their  legs 
and  fall ;  and,  as  they  do  not  immediately  attempt  to  fly  or 
crawl  away,  they  may  be  caught  in  a  sheet  spread  under 
the  tree,  from  which  they  should  be  gathered  into  a  large 
wide-mouthed  bottle,  or  other  tight  vessel,  and  be  thrown 
into  the  fire.  Keeping  the  fruit  covered  with  a  coat  of 
whitewash,  which  is  to  be  applied  with  a  syringe  as  often 
as  necessary,  has  been  much  recommended  of  late  to  repel 
the  attacks  of  the  curculio.  A  little  glue,  added  to  the 
whitewash,  causes  it  to  stick  better  and  last  longer.  We 
may  succeed  by  this  remedy  in  securing  a  crop  of  plums ; 
but  as  we  cannot  apply  it  to  cherries  and  apples,  they  will 
be  sure  to  suffer  more  than  ever,  and  hence  no  check  will 

*  Schweinitz,  Synopsis  Fungorum  ;   in  Transactions  of  the  American  Philo- 
sophical Society,  Philadelphia,  New  Series,  Vol.  IV.  p.  204. 


THE    POTATO-WEEVIL.  81 

be  given  to  the  increase  of  the  weevil.  All  the  fallen  fruit 
should  be  immediately  gathered  and  thrown  into  a  tight 
vessel,  and  after  it  is  boiled  or  steamed  to  kill  the  en- 
closed grubs,  it  may  be  given  as  food  to  swine.  Many 
of  the  grubs  will  be  found  in  the  bottom  of  the  vessel  in 
which  the  fallen  fruit  has  been  deposited.  Not  one  of  these 
should  be  allowed  to  escape  to  the  ground,  but  they  should 
all  be  killed  before  they  have  time  to  complete  their  trans- 
formations. The  diseased  excrescences  on  the  trees  should 
be  cut  out,  and,  as  they  often  contain  insects,  they  should 
be  burnt.  If  the  wounds  are  washed  with  strong  brine, 
the  formation  of  new  warts  will  be  checked.  The  moose 
plum-tree  (Prunus  Americana)  seems  to  be  free  from  warts, 
even  when  growing  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  diseased  for- 
eign trees.  It  would,  therefore,  be  the  best  of  stocks  for 
budding  or  ingrafting  upon.  It  can  be  easily  raised  from  the 
stone,  and  grows  rapidly,  but  does  not  attain  a  great  size. 

Among  the  many  insects  that  have  been  charged  with 
being  the  cause  of  the  wide-spread  pestilence,  commonly 
called  the  potato-rot,  there  is  a  kind  of  weevil  that  lives  in 
the  stalk  of  the  potato.  The  history  of  this  little  insect  was 
first  made  known  by  Miss  Margaretta  H.  Morris,  of  Ger- 
mantown,  Pennsylvania.  In  August,  1849,  her  attention 
was  called  to  this  subject  by  Mr.  Wilkinson,  the  principal 
of  the  Mount  Airy  Agricultural  Institute,  "  who  discovered 
small  grubs  in  the  potato-vines  on  his  farm,  and  naturally 
feared  injurious  consequences."  On  the  28th  Fig.  41. 
of  the  same  month  and  year,  Miss  Morris  sent  \  I  / 
to  me  some  specimens  of  the  insects  in  a  piece 
of  the  potato-stalk,  wherein  they  underwent  their 
transformations.  They  proved  to  be  the  beetles 
described  by  Mr.  Say  under  the  name  of  Bari- 
dius  trinotatus  (Fig.  41),  so  called  from  their 
having  three  black  dots  on  their  backs.  This  kind  of  beetle 
is  about  three  twentieths  of  an  inch  long.  Its  body  is  covered 
with  short  whitish  hairs,  which  give  to  it  a  gray  appearance. 
11 


82  COLEOPTERA. 

One  of  the  black  dots  is  on  the  scutel,  and  the  others  are 
on  the  hinder  angles  of  the  thorax  ;  and  by  these  it  can  be 
readily  distinguished  from  other  species.  According  to  Miss 
Morris,  it  lays  its  eggs  singly  on  the  plant  at  the  base  of  a 
leaf.  The  grubs  burrow  into  and  consume  the  inner  sub- 
stance of  the  stalk,  proceeding  downwards  towards  the  root. 
In  many  fields  in  the  neighborhood  of  Germantown  every 
stem  was  found  to  be  infested  by  these  insects,  causing  the 
premature  decay  of  the  vines,  and  giving  to  them  the  appear- 
ance of  having  been  scalded.  The  insects  undergo  all  their 
transformations  in  the  stalks.  Their  pupa  state  lasts  from 
fourteen  to  twenty  days,  and  they  take  the  beetle  form  dur- 
ing the  last  of  August  and  beginning  of  September.  These 
insects,  though  common  enough  in  the  Middle  States,  I  have 
never  found  in  New  England,  in  the  course  of  thirty  years 
of  observation,  and  have  failed  to  discover  them  here  since 
my  attention  was  called  to  their  depredations  by  Miss  Morris. 
That  they  may  become  very  injurious  to  the  potato  crop 
where  they  abound,  will  be  readily  admitted  ;  but,  as  they 
do  not  occur  in  all  places,  either  here  or  in  Europe,  where 
the  potato-rot  has  prevailed,  they  cannot  be  justly  said  to 
produce  this  disease.* 

The  most  pernicious  of  the  Rhynchophorians,  or  snout- 
beetles,  are  the  insects  properly  called  grain- weevils,  belong- 
ing to  the  old  genus  Calandra.  These  insects  must  not  be 
confounded  with  the  still  more  destructive  larvae  of  the  corn- 
moth  (Tinea  granella),  which  also  attacks  stored  grain,  nor 
with  the  orange-colored  maggots  of  the  wheat-fly  (  Cecidomyia 
Tritici),  which  are  found  in  the  ears  of  growing  wheat.  Al- 
though the  grain-weevils  are  not  actually  injurious  to  vege- 
tation, yet  as  the  name  properly  belonging  to  them  has  often 
been  misapplied  in  this  country,  thereby  creating  no  little 
confusion,  some  remarks  upon  them  may  tend  to  prevent 
future  mistakes. 

*  See  my  communication  on  this  insect,  &c.,  in  the  New  England  Farmer,  for 
June  22,  1850,  Vol.  II.  p.  204. 


GRAIN-WEEVILS.  83 

The  true  grain-weevil  or  wheat-weevil  of  Europe,  Calan- 
dra  (Sitophilus)  granaria,  or  Curculio  granarius  of  Linnaeus, 
in  its  perfected  state  is  a  slender  beetle  of  a  pitchy-red  color, 
about  one  eighth  of  an  inch  long,  with  a  slender  snout  slightly- 
bent  downwards,  a  coarsely  punctured  and  very  long  thorax, 
constituting  almost  one  half  the  length  of  the  whole  body, 
and  wing-covers  that  are  furrowed  and  do  not  entirely  cover 
the  tip  of  the  abdomen.  This  little  insect,  both  in  the  beetle 
and  grub  state,  devours  stored  wheat  and  other  grains,  and 
often  commits  much  havoc  in  granaries  and  brewhouses.  Its 
powers  of  multiplication  are  very  great,  for  it  is  stated  that 
a  single  pair  of  these  destroyers  may  produce  above  six 
thousand  descendants  in  one  year.  The  female  deposits  her 
eggs  upon  the  wheat  after  it  is  housed,  and  the  young  grubs 
hatched  therefrom  immediately  burrow  into  the  wheat,  each 
individual  occupying  alone  a  single  grain,  the  substance  of 
which  it  devours,  so  as  often  to  leave  nothing  but  the  hull ; 
and  this  destruction  goes  on  within  while  no  external  ap- 
pearance leads  to  its  discovery,  and  the  loss  of  weight  is 
the  only  evidence  of  the  mischief  that  has  been  done  to  the 
grain.  In  due  time  the  grubs  undergo  their  transformations, 
and  come  out  of  the  hulls,  in  the  beetle  state,  to  lay  their 
eggs  for  another  brood.  These  insects  are  effectually  de- 
stroyed by  kiln-drying  the  wheat;  and  grain  that  is  kept 
cool,  well  ventilated,  and  is  frequently  moved,  is  said  to  be 
exempt  from  attack. 

Rice  is  attacked  by  an  insect  closely  resembling  the  wheat- 
weevil,  from  which,  however,  it  is  distinguished  by  having 
two  large  red  spots  on  each  wing-cover ;  it  is  also  some- 
what smaller,  measuring  only  about  one  tenth  of  an  inch 
in  length,  exclusive  of  the  snout.  This  beetle,  the  Calan- 
dra  {Sitophilus)  Oryzce,*  or  rice-weevil  (Plate  II.  Fig.  8), 
is  not  entirely  confined  to  rice,  but  depredates  upon  wheat, 
and  also  on  Indian  corn.  In  the  Southern  States  it  is  called 
the  Hack  weevil,  to  distinguish  it  from  other  insects  that  in- 

*  Curculio  Oryzce  of  Linnaeus. 


84  COLEOPTERA. 

fest  grain.  I  am  not  aware  that  these  weevils  attack  wheat 
in  New  England ;  but  I  have  seen  stored  Southern  corn 
swarming  with  them ;  and,  should  they  multiply  and  extend 
in  this  section  of  the  country,  they  will  become  a  source 
of  serious  injury  to  one  of  the  most  valuable  of  our  staple 
productions.  It  is  said  that  this  weevil  lays  its  eggs  on  the 
rice  in  the  fields,  as  soon  as  the  grain  begins  to  swell.  If 
this  indeed  be  true,  we  have  very  little  to  fear  from  it  here, 
our  Indian  corn  being  so  well  protected  by  the  husks  that  it 
would  probably  escape  from  any  injury,  if  attacked.  On 
the  contrary,  if  the  insects  multiply  in  stored  grain,  then 
our  utmost  care  will  be  necessary  to  prevent  them  from 
infesting  our  own  garners.  The  parent  beetle  bores  a  hole 
into  the  grain,  and  drops  therein  a  single  egg,  going  from 
one  grain  to  another  till  all  her  eggs  are  laid.  She  then 
dies,  leaving,  however,  the  rice  well  seeded  for  a  future 
harvest  of  weevil-grubs.  In  due  time  the  eggs  are  hatched, 
the  grubs  live  securely  and  unseen  in  the  centre  of  the 
rice,  devouring  a  considerable  portion  of  its  substance,  and 
when  fully  grown  they  gnaw  a  little  hole  through  the  end 
of  the  grain,  artfully  stopping  it  up  again  with  particles  of 
rice-flour,  and  then  are  changed  to  pupae.  This  usually 
occurs  during  the  winter ;  and  in  the  following  spring  the 
insects  are  transformed  to  beetles,  and  come  out  of  the 
grain.  By  winnowing  and  sifting  the  rice  in  the  spring, 
the  beetles  can  be  separated,  and  then  should  be  gathered 
immediately  and  destroyed. 

The  sudden  change  of  the  temperature  that  generally 
occurs  in  the  early  part  of  May,  brings  out  great  numbers 
of  insects  from  their  winter  quarters,  to  enjoy  the  sunshine 
and  the  ardent  heat  which  are  congenial  to  their  natures. 

O 

While  a  continued  hum  is  heard,  among  the  branches  of 
the  trees,  from  thousands  of  bees  and  flies,  drawn  thither 
by  the  fragrance  of  the  bursting  buds  and  the  tender  foliage, 
and  the  very  ground  beneath  our  feet  seems  teeming  with 
insect  life,  swarms  of  little  beetles  of  various  kinds  come 


THE    BARK-BEETLES.  85 

forth  to  try  their  wings,  and,  with  an  uncertain  and  heavy 
flight,  launch  into  the  air.  Among  these  beetles  there  are 
many  of  a  dull  red  or  fox  color,  nearly  cylindrical  in  form, 
tapering  a  very  little  before,  obtusely  rounded  at  both  ex- 
tremities, and  about  one  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length.  They 
are  seen  slowly  creeping  upon  the  sides  of  wooden  buildings, 
resting  on  the  tops  of  fences,  or  wheeling  about  in  the  air, 
and  every  now  and  then  suddenly  alighting  on  some  tree 
or  wall,  or  dropping  to  the  ground.  If  we  go  to  an  old 
pine-tree  we  may  discover  from  whence  they  have  come, 
and  what  they  have  been  about  during  the  past  period  of 
their  lives.  He.re  they  will  be  found  creeping  out  of  thou- 
sands of  small  round  holes  which  they  have  made  through 
the  bark  for  their  escape.  Upon  raising  a  piece  of  the  bark, 
already  loosened  by  the  undermining  of  these  insects,  we 
find  it  pierced  with  holes  in  every  direction,  and  even  the 
surface  of  the  wood  will  be  seen  to  have  been  gnawed  by 
these  little  miners.  After  enjoying  themselves  abroad  for  a 
few  days,  they  pair,  and  begin  to  lay  their  eggs.  The  pitch- 
pine  is  most  generally  chosen  by  them  for  this  purpose,  but 
they  also  attack  other  kinds  of  pines.  They  gnaw  little  holes 
here  and  there  through  the  rough  bark  of  the  trunk  and 
limbs,  drop  their  eggs  therein,  and,  after  this  labor  is 
finished,  they  become  exhausted  and  die.  In  the  autumn  the 
grubs  hatched  from  these  eggs  will  be  found  fully  grown. 
They  have  a  short,  thick,  nearly  cylindrical  body,  wrinkled 
on  the  back,  are  somewhat  curved,  and  of  a  yellowish-white 
color,  with  a  horny  darker-colored  head,  and  are  destitute  of 
feet.  They  devour  the  soft  inner  substance  of  the  bark, 
boring  through  it  in  various  directions  for  this  purpose,  and, 
when  they  have  come  to  their  full  size,  they  gnaw  a  passage  to 
the  surface  for  their  escape  after  they  have  completed  their 
transformations.  These  take  place  deep  in  their  burrows  late 
in  the  autumn,  at  which  time  the  insects  may  be  found,  in 
various  states  of  maturity,  within  the  bark.  Their  depreda- 
tions interrupt  the  descent  of  the  sap,  and  prevent  the  forma- 


86  COLEOPTERA. 

tion  of  new  wood  ;  the  bark  becomes  loosened  from  the  wood, 
to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  and  the  tree  languishes  and  prema- 
Fig.  42.  turely  decays.  The  name  of  this  insect  is  Hylur- 
9m  twebrans,*  the  boring  Hylurgus  (Fig.  42)  ;  the 
generical  name  signifying  a  carpenter,  or  worker  in 
wood.  It  belongs  to  the  family  ScoLYTiDja,  includ- 
ing various  kinds  of  destructive  insects,  which  may  be  called 
cylindrical  bark-beetles.  The  insects  of  this  family  may  be 
recognized  by  the  following  characters.  The  body  is  nearly 
cylindrical,  obtuse  before  and  behind,  and  generally  of  some 
shade  of  brown.  The  head  is  rounded,  sunk  pretty  deeply 
in  the  fore  part  of  the  thorax,  and  does  not  end  with  a 
snout ;  the  antennas  are  short,  more  or  less  crooked  or  curved 
in  the  middle,  and  end  with  an  oval  knob  ;  the  feelers  are 
very  short.  The  thorax  is  rather  long,  and  as  broad  as  the 
following  part  of  the  body.  The  wing-covers  are  frequently 
cut  off  obliquely,  or  hollowed  at  the  hinder  extremity.  The 
legs  are  short  and  strong,  with  little  teeth  on  the  outer  edge 
or  extremity  of  the  shanks,  and  the  feet  are  not  wide  and 
spongy  beneath. 

Though  these  cylindrical  bark-beetles  are  of  small  size, 
they  multiply  very  fast,  and  where  they  abound  are  produc- 
tive of  much  mischief,  particularly  in  forests,  which  are  often 
greatly  injured  by  their  Iarva3,  and  the  wood  is  rendered 
unfit  for  the  purposes  of  art.  In  the  year  1780,  an  insect 
of  this  family  made  its  appearance  in  the  pine-trees  of  one 
of  the  mining  districts  of  Germany,  where  it  increased  so 
rapidly  that  in  three  years  afterwards  whole  forests  had 
disappeared  beneath  its  ravages,  and  an  end  was  nearly  put 
to  the  working  of  the  extensive  mines  in  this  range  of 
country,  for  the  want  of  fuel  to  carry  on  the  operations. 
Pines  and  firs  are  the  most  subject  to  their  attacks,  but  there 
are  some  kinds  which  infest  other  trees.  The  premature 
decay  of  the  elm  in  some  parts  of  Europe  is  occasioned  by 
the  ravages  of  the  Scolytus  destructor,  of  which  an  interesting 

*  Scolytus  lerebrans  of  Olivier. 


THE    BARK-BEETLES.  87 

account  was  written  in  1824,  by  Mr.  Macleay.  An  abstract 
of  his  paper  may  be  found  in  the  fifth  volume  of  the  "  New 
England  Fanner."  *  The  laryse  or  grubs  of  these  bark- 
beetles  resemble  those  of  the  Hylurgus  terebrans,  or  pine  bark- 
beetle  already  described.  Like  the  grubs  of  the  weevils, 
they  are  short  and  thick,  and  destitute  of  legs. 

The  red  cedar  is  inhabited  by  a  very  small  bark-beetle, 
named  by  Mr.  Say  Hylurgus  dentatus,  the  toothed  Hylurgus. 
It  is  nearly  one  tenth  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  of  a  dark- 
brown  color;  the  wing-cases  are  rough  with  little  grains, 
which  become  more  elevated  towards  the  hinder  part,  and 
are  arranged  in  longitudinal  rows,  with  little  furrows  between 
them.  The  tooth-like  appearance  of  these  little  elevations 
suggested  the  name  given  to  this  species.  The  female  bores 
a  cylindrical  passage  beneath  the  bark  of  the  cedar,  dropping 
her  eggs  at  short  intervals  as  she  goes  along,  and  dies  at  the 
end  of  her  burrow  when  her  eggs  are  all  laid.  The  grubs 
hatched  from  these  proceed  in  feeding  nearly  at  right  angles, 
forming  on  each  side  numerous  parallel  nirrows,  smaller  than 
the  central  tube  of  the  female.  They  complete  their  trans- 
formations in  October,  and  eat  their  way  through  the  bark, 
which  will  then  be  seen  to  be  perforated  with  thousands  of 
little  round  holes,  through  which  the  beetles  have  escaped. 

Under  the  bark  of  the  pitch-pine  I  have  found,  in  com- 
pany with  the  pine  bark-beetle,  a  more  slender  bark-beetle, 
of  a  dark  chestnut-brown  color,  clothed  with  a  few  short  yel- 
lowish hairs,  with  a  long,  almost  egg-shaped  thorax,  which  is 
very  rough  before,  and  short  wing-covers,  deeply  punctured 
in  rows,  hollowed  out  at  the  tip  like  a  gouge,  and  beset 
around  the  outer  edge  of  the  hollow  with  six  little  teeth  on 
each  side.  This  beetle  measures  one  fifth  of  an  inch,  or 
rather  more,  u\  length.  It  arrives  at  maturity  in  the  autumn, 
but  does  not  come  out  of  the  bark  till  the  following  spring, 
at  which  time  it  lays  its  eggs.  It  is  the  Tomicus  exesus,  or 
excavated  Tomicus ;  the  specific  name,  signifying  eaten  out 

*  Page  169. 


88  COLEOPTERA. 

or  excavated,  was  given  to  it  by  Mr.  Say  on  account  of  the 
hollowed  and  bitten  appearance  of  the  end  of  its  wing-covers. 
Its  grubs  eat  zigzag  and  wavy  passages,  parallel  to  each  other, 
between  the  bark  and  the  wood.  They  are  much  less  com- 
mon in  the  New  England  than  in  the  Middle  and  Southern 
States,  where  they  abound  in  the  yellow  pines. 

Another  bark-beetle  is  found  here,  closely  resembling  the 

preceding,  from  which  it  differs  chiefly  in  the  inferiority  of 

its  size,  being  but  three  twentieths  of  an  inch  in 

Fig.  43. 

length,  and  in  having  only  three  or  four  teeth  at 
the  outer  extremity  of  each  wing-cover.  It  is  the 
Tomicus  Pini  of  Mr.  Say  (Fig.  43).  The  grubs 
of  this  insect  are  very  injurious  to  pine-trees.  I 
have  found  them  under  the  bark  of  the  white  and 
pitch  pine,  and  they  have  also  been  discovered  in  the  larch. 
The  beetles  appear  during  the  month  of  August. 

There  is  another  small  bark-beetle,  the  Tomicus  liminaris® 
of  my  Catalogue,  which  has  been  found,  in  great  numbers, 
by  Miss  Morris,  under  the  bark  of  peach-trees,  affected  with 
the  disease  called  the  yellows,  and  hence  supposed  by  her  to 
be  connected  with  this  malady.*  I  have  found  it  under 
the  bark  of  a  diseased  elm ;  but  have  nothing  more  to  offer, 
from  my  own  observations,  concerning  its  history,  except 
that  it  completes  its  transformation  in  August  and  September. 
It  is  of  a  dark-brown  color ;  the  thorax  is  punctured,  and 
the  wing-covers  are  marked  with  deeply  punctured  furrows, 
and  are  beset  with  short  hairs.  It  does  not  average  one 
tenth  of  an  inch  in  length. 

The  pear-tree  in  New  England  has  been  found  to  be 
subject  to  a  peculiar  malady,  which  shows  itself  during  mid- 
summer by  the  sudden  withering  of  the  leaves  and  fruit,  and 
the  discoloration  of  the  bark  of  one  or  more  of  the  limbs, 

['  This  species  differs  from  the  others  known  in  this  country  by  having  the  last 
three  joints  of  the  antennae  dilated  laterally,  forming  a  lamellate  club  like  that  of 
the  Scarabaeidae ;  it  therefore  belongs  to  the  genus  Phloiotribus.  —  LEC.] 

*  See  Miss  Morris  on  the  Yellows,  in  Downing's  Horticulturist,  Vol.  IV.  p.  502. 


THE    BLIGHT-BEETLE.  89 

followed  by  the  immediate  death  of  the  part  affected.  This 
kind  of  blight,  as  it  has  been  called,  being  oftenest  confined 
to  a  single  branch,  or  to  the  extremity  of  a  branch,  seems  to 
be  a  local  affection  only.  It  ends  with  the  death  of  the 
branch,  down  to  a  certain  point,  but  does  not  extend  below 
the  seat  of  attack,  and  does  not  affect  the  health  of  other 
parts  of  the  tree.  In  June,  1816,  the  Hon.  John  Lowell,  of 
Roxbury,  discovered  a  minute  insect  in  one  of  the  affected 
limbs  of  a  pear-tree ;  afterwards,  he  repeatedly  detected  the 
same  insects  in  blasted  limbs,  and  his  discoveries  have  been 
confirmed  by  Mr.  Henry  Wheeler  and  the  late  Dr.  Oliver 
Fiske,  of  Worcester,  and  by  many  other  persons.  Mr.  Low- 
ell submitted  the  limb  and  the  insect  contained  therein  to 
the  examination  of  Professor  Peck,  who  gave  an  account 
and  figure  of  the  latter,  in  the  fourth  volume  of  the  "  Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural  Repository  and  Journal." 

From  this  account,  and  from  the  subsequent  communica- 
tion by  Mr.  Lowell,  in  the  fifth  volume  of  the  "  New  Eng- 
land Farmer,"  it  appears  that  the  grub  or  larva  of  the  insect 
eats  its  way  inward  through  the  alburnum  or  sap-wood  into 
the  hardest  part  of  the  wood,  beginning  at  the  root  of  a  bud, 
behind  which  probably  the  egg  was  deposited,  following  the 
course  of  the  eye  of  the  bud  towards  the  pith,  around  which 
it  passes,  and  part  of  which  it  also  consumes  ;  thus  forming, 
after  penetrating  through  the  alburnum,  a  circular  burrow 
or  passage  in  the  heart-wood,  contiguous  to  the  pith  which 
it  surrounds.  By  this  means  the  central  vessels,  or  those 
which  convey  the  ascending  sap,  are  divided,  and  the  circula- 
tion is  cut  off.  This  takes  place  when  the  increasing  heat  of 
the  atmosphere,  producing  a  greater  transpiration  from  the 
leaves,  renders  a  large  and  continued  flow  of  sap  necessary 
to  supply  the  evaporation.  For  the  want  of  tliis,  or  from 
some  other  unexplained  cause,  the  whole  of  the  limb  above 
the  seat  of  the  insect's  operations  suddenly  withers,  and 
perishes  during  the  intense  heat  of  midsummer.  The  larva 
is  changed  to  a  pupa,  and  subsequently  to  a  little  beetle,  in 
12 


90  COLEOPTERA. 

the  bottom  of  its  burrow,  makes  its  escape  from  the  tree  in 
the  latter  part  of  June,  or  beginning  of  July,  and  probably 
deposits  its  eggs  before  August  has  passed. 

This  insect,  which  may  be  called  the  blight-beetle,  from  the 
injury  it  occasions,  attacks  also  apple,  apricot,  and  plurn  trees, 
though  less  frequently  than  pear-trees.  In  the  latter  part  of 
May,  1843,  a  piece  of  the  blighted  limb  of  an  apple-tree  was 
sent  to  me  for  examination.  It  was  twenty-eight  inches 
in  length,  and  three  quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter  at 
the  lower  end.  Its  surface  bore  the  marks  of  twenty  buds, 
thirteen  of  which  were  perforated  by  the  insects  ;  and  from 
the  burrows  within  I  took  twelve  of  the  blight-beetles  in 
a  living  and  perfect  condition,  the  thirteenth  insect  having 
previously  been  cut  out.  On  the  9th  of  July,  1844,  the 
Hon.  M.  P.  Wilder  sent  to  me  a  piece  of  a  branch  from 
a  plum-tree,  which  contained,  within  the  space  of  one  foot, 
four  nests  or  branching  burrows,  in  each  of  which  several 
insects  in  the  grub  and  chrysalis  state  were  found,  and  also 
one  that  had  completed  its  transformations.  Soon  afterwards 
I  caught  one  of  the  blight-beetles  on  a  plum-tree,  probably 
about  to  lay  her  eggs.  In  the  following  month  of  August, 
I  received  a  blighted  branch  of  an  apricot-tree,  one  inch  in 
diameter  at  the  largest  end,  and  containing,  within  the  short 
distance  of  six  inches,  seven  or  eight  perfect  blight-beetles, 
each  in  a  separate  burrow,  and  vestiges  of  other  burrows 
that  had  been  destroyed  in  cutting  the  branch.* 

This  little  beetle,  which  is  only  one  tenth  of  an  inch  in 
length,  was  named  Scolytus  Pyri,  the  pear-tree  Scolytus,  by 
Professor  Peck.  It  is  of  a  deep  brown  color,  with  the 
antennas  and  legs  of  the  color  of  iron-rust.  The  thorax  is 
short,  very  convex,  rounded  and  rough  before ;  the  wing- 
covers  are  minutely  punctured  in  rows,  and  slope  off  veiy 
suddenly  and  obliquely  behind ;  the  shanks  are  widened 
and  flattened  towards  the  end,  beset  with  a  few  little  teeth 

*  See  my  communications  on  these  insects  in  the  Massachusetts  Ploughman  for 
June  17,  1843.    Also  Downing's  Horticulturist  for  February,  1848,  Vol.  II.  p.  365. 


THE    BOSTRICHIANS.  91 

externally,  and  end  with  a  short  hook;  and  the  joints  of 
the  feet  are  slender  and  entire.  This  insect  cannot  be 
retained  in  the  genus  Scolytus,  as  defined  by  modern  nat- 
uralists, but  is  to  be  placed  in  the  genus  Tomicus.  The 
minuteness  of  the  insect,  the  difficulty  attending  the  discov- 
ery of  the  precise  seat  of  its  operations  before  it  has  left  the 
tree,  and  the  small  size  of  the  aperture  through  which  it 
makes  its  escape  from  the  limb,  are  probably  the  reasons  why 
it  has  eluded  the  researches  of  those  persons  who  disbelieve 
in  its  existence  as  the  cause  of  the  blasting  of  the  limbs  of 
the  pear-tree.  It  is  to  be  sought  for  at  or  near  the  lowest 
part  of  the  diseased  limbs,  and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  buds  situated  about  that  part.  The  remedy,  suggested 
by  Mr.  Lowell  and  Professor  Peck,  to  prevent  other  limbs 
and  trees  from  being  subsequently  attacked  in  the  same  way, 
consists  in  cutting  off  the  blasted  limb  below  the  seat  of  injury, 
and  burning  it  before  the  perfect  insect  has  made  its  escape. 
It  will  therefore  be  necessary  carefully  to  examine  our  pear- 
trees  daily,  during  the  month  of  June,  and  watch  for  the  first 
indication  of  disease,  or  the  remedy  may  be  applied  too  late 
to  prevent  the  dispersion  of  the  insects  among  other  trees. 

There  are  some  other  beetles,  much  h'ke  the  preceding  in 
form,  whose  grubs  bore  into  the  solid  wood  of  trees.  They 
were  formerly  included  among  the  cylindrical  bark-beetles, 
but  have  been  separated  from  them  recently,  and  now  form 
the  family  BOSTRICHID^E,  or  Bostrichians.  Some  of  these 
beetles  are  of  large  size,  measuring  more  than  an  inch  in 
length,  and,  in  the  tropical  regions  where  they  are  found, 
must  prove  very  injurious  to  the  trees  they  inhabit.  The 
body  in  these  beetles  is  hard  and  cylindrical,  and  generally 
of  a  black  color.  The  thorax  is  bulging  before,  and  the 
head  is  sunk  and  almost  concealed  under  the  projecting  fore 
part  of  it.  The  antennas  are  of  moderate  length,  and  end 
with  three  large  joints,  which  are  saw-toothed  internally. 
The  larvae  are  mostly  wood-eaters,  and  are  whitish  fleshy 
grubs,  wrinkled  on  the  back,  furnished  with  six  legs,  and 


92  COLEOPTERA. 

resemble  in  form  the  grubs  of  some  of  the  small  Scara- 
baeians. 

The  shagbark  or  walnut  tree  is  sometimes  infested  by  the 
grubs  of  the  red-shouldered  Apate,  or  Apate  badllans  of 
Say,  an  insect  of  this  family.  The  grubs  bore  diametrically 
through  the  trunks  of  the  walnut  to  the  very  heart,  and 
undergo  their  transformations  in  the  bottom  of  their  bur- 
rows. Several  trees  have  fallen  under  my  observation  which 
have  been  entirely  killed  by  these  insects.  The  beetles  are 
of  a  deep  black  color,  and  are  punctured  all  over.  The 
thorax  is  very  convex  and  rough  before ;  the  wing-covers 
are  not  excavated  at  the  tip,  but  they  slope  downwards  very 
suddenly  behind,  as  if  obliquely  cut  off,  the  outer  edge  of 
the  cut  portion  is  armed  with  three  little  teeth  on  each  wing- 
cover,  and  on  the  base  or  shoulders  there  is  a  large  red  spot. 
This  insect  measures  one  fifth  of  an  inch  or  more  in  length. 

The  most  powerful  and  destructive  of  the  wood-eating 
insects  are  the  grabs  of  the  long-horned  or  Capricorn-beetles 
(CERAMBYCID^E),  called  borers  by  way  of  distinction.  There 
are  many  kinds  of  borers  which  do  not  belong  to  this  tribe. 
Some  of  them  have  already  been  described,  and  others  will 
be  mentioned  under  the  orders  to  which  they  belong.  Those 
now  under  consideration  differ  much  from  each  other  in  their 
habits.  Some  live  altogether  in  the  trunks  of  trees,  others 
in  the  limbs ;  some  devour  the  wood,  others  the  pith ;  some 
are  found  only  in  shrubs,  some  in  the  stems  of  herbaceous 
plants,  and  others  are  confined  to  roots.  Certain  kinds  are 
limited  to  plants  of  one  species,  others  live  indiscriminately 
upon  several  plants  of  one  natural  family;  but  the  same 
kind  of  borer  is  not  known  to  inhabit  plants  differing  essen- 
tially from  each  other  in  their  natural  characters.  As  might 
be  expected  from  these  circumstances,  the  beetles  produced 
from  these  borers  are  of  many  different  kinds.  Nearly  one 
hundred  species  have  been  found  in  Massachusetts,  and 
probably  many  more  remain  to  be  discovered. 

The   Capricorn-beetles    agree   in   the   following    respects. 


THE    CAPRICORN-BEETLES.  93 

The  antennae  are  long  and  tapering,  and  generally  curved 
like  the  horns  of  a  goat,  which  is  the  origin  of  the  name 
above  given  to  these  beetles.  The  body  is  oblong,  approach- 
ing to  a  cylindrical  form,  a  little  flattened  above,  and  taper- 
ing somewhat  behind.  The  head  is  short,  and  armed  with 
powerful  jaws.  The  thorax  is  either  square,  barrel-shaped, 
or  narrowed  before ;  and  is  not  so  wide  behind  as  the  wing- 
covers.  The  legs  are  long;  the  thighs  thickened  in  the 
middle ;  the  feet  four-jointed,  not  formed  for  rapid  motion, 
but  for  standing  securely,  being  broad  and  cushioned  beneath, 
with  the  third  joint  deeply  notched.  Most  of  these  beetles 
remain  upon  trees  and  shrubs  during  the  daytime,  but  fly 
abroad  at  night.  Some  of  them,  however,  fly  by  day,  and 
may  be  found  on  flowers,  feeding  on  the  pollen  and  the 
blossoms.  When  annoyed  or  taken  into  the  hands,  they 
make  a  squeaking  sound  by  rubbing  the  joints  of  the  thorax 
and  abdomen  together.  The  females  are  generally  larger 
and  more  robust  than  the  males,  and  have  rather  shorter 
antennas.  Moreover,  they  are  provided  with  a  jointed  tube 
at  the  end  of  the  body,  capable  of  being  extended  or  drawn 
in  like  the  joints  of  a  telescope,  by  means  of  which  they 
convey  their  eggs  into  the  holes  and  chinks  of  the  bark  of 
plants. 

The  larvae  hatched  from  these  eggs  are  long,  whitish, 
fleshy  grubs,  with  the  transverse  incisions  of  the  body  very 
deeply  marked,  so  that  the  rings  are  very  convex  or  hunched 
both  above  and  below.  The  body  tapers  a  little  behind,  and 
is  blunt-pointed.  The  head  is  much  smaller  than  the  first 
ring,  slightly  bent  downwards,  of  a  horny  consistence,  and 
is  provided  with  short  but  very  powerful  jaws,  by  means 
whereof  the  insect  can  bore,  as  with  a  centre-bit,  a  cylindri- 
cal passage  through  the  most  solid  wood.  Some  of  these 
borers  have  six  very  small  legs,  namely,  one  pair  under  each 
of  the  first  three  rings  ;  but  most  of  them  want  even  these 
short  and  imperfect  limbs,  and  move  through  their  bur- 
rows by  alternate  extension  and  contraction  of  their  bodies, 

13 


94  COLEOPTERA. 

on  each  or  on  most  of  the  rings  of  which,  both  above  and 
below,  there  is  an  oval  space  covered  with  little  elevations, 
somewhat  like  the  teeth  of  a  fine  rasp ;  and  these  little  oval 
rasps,  which  are  designed  to  aid  the  grubs  in  their  motions, 
fully  make  up  to  them  the  want  of  proper  feet. 

Some  of  these  borers  always  keep  one  end  of  their  burrows 
open,  out  of  which,  from  time  to  time,  they  cast  their  chips, 
resembling  coarse  sawdust ;  others,  as  fast  as  they  proceed, 
fill  up  the  passages  behind  them  with  their  castings,  well 
known  here  by  the  name  of  powder-post.  These  borers 
live  from  one  year  to  three  or  perhaps  more  years  before 
they  come  to  their  growth.  They  undergo  their  transfor- 
mations at  the  furthest  extremity  of  their  burrows,  many 
of  them  previously  gnawing  a  passage  through  the  wood  to 
the  inside  of  the  bark,  for  their  future  escape.  The  pupa 
is  at  first  soft  and  whitish,  and  it  exhibits  all  the  parts  of 
the  future  beetle  under  a  filmy  veil  which  inwraps  every 
limb.  The  wings  and  legs  are  folded  upon  the  breast,  the 
long  antennae  are  turned  back  against  the  sides  of  the  body, 
and  then  bent  forwards  between  the  legs.  When  the  beetle 
has  thrown  off  its  pupa-skin,  it  gnaws  away  the  thin  coat 
of  bark  that  covers  the  mouth  of  its  burrow,  and  comes  out 
of  its  dark  and  confined  retreat,  to  breathe  the  fresh  air, 
and  to  enjoy  for  the  first  time  the  pleasure  of  sight,  and  the 
use  of  the  legs  and  wings  with  which  it  is  provided. 

The  Capricorn-beetles  have  been  divided  into  three  fami- 
lies, corresponding  with  the  genera  Prwnus,  Cerainbyx,  and 
Leptura  of  Linnaeus.  Those  belonging  to  the  first  family 
are  generally  of  a  brown  color,  have  flattened  and  saw- 
toothed  or  beaded  antennae  of  a  moderate  length,  project- 
ing jaws,  and  kidney-shaped  eyes.  Those  in  the  second 
have  eyes  of  the  same  shape,  more  slender  or  much  longer 
antennae,  and  smaller  jaws ;  and  are  often  variegated  in 
their  colors.  The  beetles  belonging  to  the  third  family  are 
readily  distinguished  by  their  eyes,  which  are  round  and 
prominent.  These  three  families  are  divided  into  many 


THE    PRIONIANS. 


95 


smaller  groups  and  genera,  the  peculiarities  of  which  cannot 
be  particularly  pointed  out  in  a  work  of  this  kind. 

The  Prionians,  or  PRIONID^E,  derive  their  name  from  a 
Greek  word  signifying  a  saw,  which  has  been  applied  to 
them  either  because  the  antennae,  in  most  of  these  beetles, 
consists  of  flattened  joints,  projecting  internally  somewhat 
like  the  teeth  of  a  saw,  or  on  account  of  their  upper  jaws, 
which  sometimes  are  very  long  and  toothed  within.  It  is 
said  that  some  of  the  beetles  thus  armed  can  saw  off  large 
limbs  by  seizing  them  between  their  jaws,  and  flying  or 
whirling  sidewise  round  the  enclosed  limb,  till  it  is  completely 
divided.  The  largest  insects  of  the  Capricorn  tribe  belong  to 
this  family,  some  of  the  tropical  species  measuring  five  or  six 
inches  in  length,  and  one  inch  and  a  half  or  two  inches  in 
breadth.  Their  larvae  are  broader  and  more  flattened  than 
the  grubs  of  the  other  Capricorn-beetles,  and  are  provided 
with  six  very  short  legs.  When  about  to  be  transformed, 
they  collect  a  quantity  of  their  chips  around  them,  and  make 
therewith  an  oval  pod  or  cocoon,  to  enclose  themselves. 

Our  largest  species  is  the  broad-necked  Prionus  (Fig.  44), 
Prionus  laticollis*  of  Drury,  its  Fig.  44. 

first  describer.  It  is  of  a  long 
oval  shape  and  of  a  pitchy-black 
color.  The  jaws,  though  short, 
are  very  thick  and  strong  ;  the  an- 
tennas are  stout  and  saw-toothed 
in  the  male,  and  more  slender  in 
the  other  sex  ;  the  thorax  is  short 
and  wide,  and  armed  on  the  lat- 
eral edges  with  three  teeth  ;  the 
wing-covers  have  three  slightly 
elevated  lines  on  each  of  them, 
and  are  rough  with  a  multitude 
of  large  punctures,  which  run  to- 
gether irregularly.  It  measures  from  one  inch  and  one 

*  Prionus  brevicornis  of  Fabricius. 


96  COLEOPTERA. 

eighth  to  one  inch  and  three  quarters  in  length ;  the  females 
being  always  much  larger  than  the  males.  The  grubs  of 
this  beetle,  when  fully  grown,  are  as  thick  as  a  man's  thumb. 
They  live  in  the  trunks  and  roots  of  the  balm  of  gilead, 
Lombardy  poplar,  and  probably  in  those  of  other  kinds  of 
poplar  also.  The  beetles  may  frequently  be  seen  upon,  or 
flying  round,  the  trunks  of  these  trees  in  the  month  of  July, 
even  in  the  daytime,  though  the  other  kinds  of  Prionus 
generally  fly  only  by  night. 

The   one-colored  Prionus,  Prionus  unicolor*lQ  of  Drury 
Fig.  45.  (Fig-  45),  inhabits  pine-trees. 

Its  body  is  long,  narrow,  and 
flattened,  of  a  light  bay-brown 
color,  with  the  head  and  an- 
tennas darker.  The  thorax  is 
very  short,  and  armed  on  each 
side  with  three  sharp  teeth ; 
the  wing-covers  are  nearly 
of  equal  breadth  throughout, 
and  have  three  slightly  ele- 
vated ribs  on  each  of  them. 
This  beetle  measures  from 
one  inch  and  one  quarter  to 
one  inch  and  a  half  in  length,  and  about  three  or  four  tenths 
of  an  inch  in  breadth.  It  flies  by  night,  and  frequently 
enters  houses  in  the  evening,  from  the  middle  of  July  to 
September. 

The  second  family  of  the  Capricorn-beetles  may  be  allowed 
to  retain  the  scientific  name,  CERAMBYCID.E,  of  the  tribe  to 
which  it  belongs.  The  Cerambycians  have  not  the  very 
prominent  jaws  of  the  Prionians ;  their  eyes  are  always 
kidney-shaped  or  notched  for  the  reception  of  the  first  joint 
of  the  antenna?,  which  are  not  saw-toothed,  but  generally 

*  P.  cylindriau  of  Fabricius. 

[10  This  species  was  very  properly  separated  by  Serville  as  a  distinct  genus 
Orthotoma.  —  LEC.  ] 


THE    BANDED    STENOCORUS.  97 

slender  and  tapering,  sometimes  of  moderate  length,  some- 
times excessively  long,  especially  in  the  males ;  the  thorax 
is  longer  and  more  convex  than  in  the  preceding  family,  not 
thin-edged,  but  often  rounded  at  the  sides. 

Some  of  these  beetles,  distinguished  by  their  narrow  wing- 
covers,  which  are  notched  or  armed  with  two  little  thorns  at 
the  tip,  and  by  the  great  length  of  their  antennae,  belong  to 
the  genus  Stenocorus,  a  name  signifying  narrow  or  straitened. 
One  of  them,  which  is  Fig  46. 

rare  here,  inhabits  the 
hickory,  in  its  larva  state 
forming  long  galleries  in 
the  trunk  of  this  tree  in 
the  direction  of  the  fibres 
of  the  wood.  This  beetle 
is  the  Stenocorus  (Ceras- 
phorus)  cinctus,*  or  band- 
ed Stenocorus  (Fig  46). 
It  is  of  a  hazel  color,  with 
a  tint  of  gray,  arising  from 
the  short  hairs  with  which 
it  is  covered  ;  there  is  an 
oblique  ochre-yellow  band 
across  each  wing-cover  ;  and  a  short  spine  or  thorn  on  the 
middle  of  each  side  of  the  thorax.  The  antennae  of  the 
males  are  more  than  twice  the  length  of  the  body,  which 
measures  from  three  quarters  of  an  inch  to  one  inch  and  one 
quarter  in  length. 

The  ground  beneath  black  and  white  oaks  is  often  ob- 
served to  be  strewn  with  small  branches,  neatly  severed  from 
these  trees  as  if  cut  off  with  a  saw.  Upon  splitting  open  the 
cut  end  of  a  branch,  in  the  autumn  or  winter  after  it  has 
fallen,  it  will  be  found  to  be  perforated  to  the  extent  of  six 
or  eight  inches  in  the  course  of  the  pith,  and  a  slender  grub, 
the  author  of  the  mischief,  will  be  discovered  therein.  In 

*  Cerambyx  cinctus,  Drury ;  Stenocorus  garganicus,  Fabricius. 


98 


COLEOPTERA. 


Fig.  47. 


the  spring  this  grub  is  transformed  to  a  pupa,  and  in  June  or 
July  it  is  changed  to  a  beetle,  and  comes  out  of  the  branch. 
The  history  of  this  insect  was  first  made 
public  by  Professor  Peck,*  who  called  it 
the  oak-pruner,  or  Stenocorm  (Ulaphidiori) 
putator  (Fig  47). n     In  its  adult  state  it  is 
a  slender    long-horned    beetle,    of  a   dull 
brown   color,   sprinkled   with   gray   spots, 
composed   of  very  short  close  hairs ;  the 
antennaB  are  longer  than  the  body  in  the  males,  and  equal  to 
it  in  length  in  the  other  sex,  and  the  third  and  fourth  joints 
are  tipped  with  a  small  spine  or  thorn  ;  the  thorax  is  barrel- 
shaped,  and  not  spined  at  the  sides ;  and  the  scutel  is  yellow- 
rig.  48.        ish- white.     It  varies  in  length  from  four  and  a 
half  to  six  tenths  of  an  inch.     It  lays  its  eggs 
in  July.     Each  egg  is  placed  close  to  the  axilla 
or  joint  of  a  leaf-stalk  or  of  a  small  twig,  near 
the  extremity  of  a  branch.    The  grub  (Fig.  48) 
hatched  from  it  penetrates  at  that  spot  to  the 
pith,  and  then  continues  its  course  towards  the 
body  of  the  tree,  devouring  the  pith,  and  there- 
by forming  a  cylindrical  burrow,  several  inches 
in  length,  in  the  centre  of  the  branch.     Having 
reached  its  full  size,  which  it  does  towards  the 
end   of  the   summer,  it  divides  the  branch  at 
the  lower  end  of  its  burrow  (Fig  49,  pupa), 
by  gnawing  away  the  wood  transversely  from 
within,  leaving  only  the  ring  of  bark  untouched. 
It    then  retires  backwards,  stops    up   the  end 
of  its  hole,   near  the   transverse  section,  with 
fibres  of  the  wood,  and  awaits  the  fall  of  the 
branch,  which  is  usually  broken  off  and  pre- 
Pupa.         cipitated  to  the  ground  by  the  autumnal  winds. 

*  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Repository  and  Journal,  Vol.  V.,  with  a  plate. 

[  ll  This  species  was  previously  described  by  Fabricius  as  Stenocorus  villosut, 
which  specific  name  must  therefore  be  preserved. — LEC.] 


Larva. 


Fig.  49. 


THE    CAPRICORN-BEETLES.  99 

The  leaves  of  the  oak  are  rarely  shed  before  the  branch 
falls,  and  thus  serve  to  break  the  shock.  Branches  of  five 
or  six  feet  in  length  and  an  inch  in  diameter  are  thus  severed 
by  these  insects,  a  kind  of  pruning  that  must  be  injurious  to 
the  trees,  and  should  be  guarded  against  if  possible.  By 
collecting  the  fallen  branches  in  the  autumn,  and  burning 
them  before  the  spring,  we  prevent  development  of  the 
beetles,  while  we  derive  some  benefit  from  the  branches  as 
fuel. 

It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that,  while  the  pine  and  fir 
tribes  rarely  suffer  to  any  extent  from  the  depredations  of 
caterpillars  and  other  leaf-eating  insects,  the  resinous  odor 
of  these  trees,  offensive  as  it  is  to  such  insects,  does  not 
prevent  many  kinds  of  borers  from  burrowing  into  and  de- 
stroying their  trunks.  Several  of  the  Capricorn-beetles,  while 
in  the  grub  state,  live  only  in  pine  and  fir  trees,  or  in  timber 
of  these  kinds  of  wood.  They  belong  chiefly  to  the  genus 
Callidium,  a  name  of  unknown  or  obscure  origin.  Their 
antennae  are  of  moderate  length  ;  they  have  a  somewhat 
flattened  body ;  the  head  nods  forward,  as  in  Stenocorm  ;  the 
thorax  is  broad,  nearly  circular,  and  somewhat  flattened  or 
indented  above ;  and  the  thighs  are  very  slender  next  to  the 
body,  but  remarkably  thick  beyond  the  middle.  The  larvae 
are  of  moderate  length,  more  flattened  than  the  grubs  of 
the  other  Capricorn-beetles,  have  a  very  broad  and  horny 
head,  small  but  powerful  jaws,  and  are  provided  with  six 
extremely  small  legs.  They  undermine  the  bark,  and  per- 
forate the  wood  in  various  directions,  often  doing  immense 
injury  to  the  trees,  and  to  new  buildings,  in  the  lumber 
composing  which  they  may  happen  to  be  concealed.  Their 
burrows  are  wide  and  not  cylindrical,  are  very  winding,  and 
are  filled  up  with  a  kind  of  compact  sawdust  as  fast  as  the 
insects  advance*  The  larva  state  is  said  to  continue  two 
years,  during  which  period  the  insects  cast  their  skins  several 
times.  The  sides  of  the  body  in  the  pupa  are  thin-edged, 
and  finely  notched,  and  the  tail  is  forked. 


100  COLEOPTERA. 

One  of  the  most  common  kinds  of  Callidium  found  here 
is  a  flattish,  rusty-black  beetle,  with  some  downy  whitish 
spots  across  the  middle  of  the  wing-covers ;  the  thorax  is 
nearly  circular,  is  covered  with  fine  whitish  down,  and  has 
two  elevated  polished  black  points  upon  it;  and  the  wing- 
covers  are  very  coarsely  punctured.  It  measures  from  four 
tenths  to  three  quarters  of  an  inch  in  length.  This  insect  is 
the  Callidium  bajulus  (Plate  II.  Fig.  12) ;  the  second  name, 
meaning  a  porter,  was  given  to  it  by  Linnaeus,  on  account 
of  the  whitish  patch  which  it  bears  on  its  back.  It  inhabits 
fir,  spruce,  and  hemlock  wood  and  lumber,  and  may  often 
be  seen  on  wooden  buildings  and  fences  in  July  and  August. 
We  are  informed  by  Kirby  and  Spence,  that  the  grubs 
sometimes  greatly  injure  the  wood-work  of  houses  in  Lon- 
don, piercing  the  rafters  of  the  roofs  in  every  direction,  and, 
when  arrived  at  maturity,  even  penetrating  through  sheets 
of  lead  which  covered  the  place  of  their  exit.  One  piece  of 
lead,  only  eight  inches  long  and  four  broad,  contained  twelve 
oval  holes  made  by  these  insects,  and  fragments  of  the  lead 
were  found  in  their  stomachs.  As  this  insect  is  now  com- 
mon in  the  maritime  parts  of  the  United  States,  it  was 
probably  first  brought  to  this  country  by  vessels  from  Eu- 
rope. 

The  violet  Callidium,  Callidium  violaceum,*  ^  (Plate  II. 
Fig.  11,)  is  of  a  Prussian  blue  or  violet  color  ;  the  thorax  is 
transversely  oval,  and  downy,  and  sometimes  has  a  greenish 
tinge;  and  the  wing-covers  are  rough  with  thick  irregular 
punctures.  Its  length  varies  from  four  to  six  tenths  of  an 
inch.  It  may  be  found  in  great  abundance  on  piles  of  pine 
wood,  from  the  middle  of  May  to  the  first  of  June  ;  and  the 
larvae  and  pupae  are  often  met  with  in  splitting  the  wood. 
They  live  mostly  just  under  the  bark,  where  their  broad  and 
winding  tracks  may  be  traced  by  the  hardened  sawdust  with 

*  Cerambyx  violaceus  of  Linnaeus. 

[ 12  Our  species  is  considered  different  from  the  European  Callidium  riolaceum, 
under  the  name  C.  antennatum,  Newman.  —  LEC.] 


THE    CAPRICORN-BEETLES. 

which  they  are  crowded.  Just  before  they  are  about  to  be 
transformed,  they  bore  into  the  solid  wood  to  the  depth  of 
several  inches.  They  are  said  to  be  very  injurious  to  the 
sapling  pines  in  Maine.  Professor  Peck  supposed  this  species 
of  Callidium  to  have  been  introduced  into  Europe  in  timber 
exported  from  this  country,  as  it  is  found  in  most  parts  of 
that  continent  that  have  been  much  connected  with  North 
America  by  navigation.  Thus  Europe  and  America  seem 
to  have  interchanged  the  porter  and  violet  Callidium,  which, 
by  means  of  shipping,  have  now  become  common  to  the  two 
continents. 

From  the  regularity  of  its  form,  and  the  noble  size  it 
attains,  the  sugar-maple  is  accounted  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful of  our  forest-trees,  and  is  esteemed  as  one  of  the  most 
valuable,  on  account  of  its  many  useful  properties.  This 
fine  tree  suffers  much  from  the  attacks  of  borers,  which  in 
some  cases  produce  its  entire  destruction.  We  are  indebted 
to  the  Rev.  L.  W.  Leonard,  of  Dublin,  N.  H.,  for  the  first 
account  of  the  habits  and  transformations  of  these  borers. 
In  the  summer  of  1828,  his  attention  was  called  to  some 
young  maples,  in  Keene,  which  were  in  a  languishing  condi- 
tion. He  discovered  the  insect  in  its  beetle  state  under  the 
loosened  bark  of  one  of  the  trees,  and  traced  the  recent 
track  of  the  larva  three  inches  into  the  solid  wood.  In  the 
course  of  a  few  years,  these  trees,  upon  the  cultivation  of 
which  much  care  had  been  bestowed,  were  nearly  destroyed 
by  the  borers.  The  failure,  from  the  same  cause,  of  sev- 
eral other  attempts  to  raise  the  sugar-maple,  has  since 
come  to  my  knowledge.  The  insects  are  changed  to  beetles, 
and  come  out  of  the  trunks  of  the  trees  in  July.  In  the 
vicinity  of  Boston,  specimens  have  been  repeatedly  taken, 
which  were  undoubtedly  brought  here  in  maple  logs  from 
Maine.  The  beetle  was  first  described  in  1824,  in  the  Ap- 
pendix to  Keating's  "  Narrative  of  Long's  Expedition,"  by 
Mr.  Say,  who  called  it  Clytus  speciosus ;  that  is,  the  beauti- 
ful Clytus.  (Plate  II.  Fig.  15.)  It  was  afterwards  inserted, 

13* 


102  COLEOPTERA. 

and  accurately  represented  by  the  pencil  of  Lesueur,  in  Say's 
"  American  Entomology,"  and,  more  recently,  a  description 
and  figure  of  it  have  appeared  in  Griffith's  translation  of 
Cuvier's  "  Animal  Kingdom,"  under  the  name  of  Clytus 
Hayii. 

The  beautiful  Clytus,  like  the  other  beetles  of  the  genus 
to  which  it  belongs,  is  distinguished  from  a  Callidium  by  its 
more  convex  form,  its  more  nearly  globular  thorax,  which 
is  neither  flattened  nor  indented,  and  by  its  more  slender 
thighs.  The  head  is  yellow,  with  the  antenna  and  the  eyes 
reddish  black ;  the  thorax  is  black,  with  two  transverse 
yellow  spots  on  each  side ;  the  wing-covers,  for  about  two 
thirds  of  their  length,  are  black,  the  remaining  third  is 
yellow,  and  they  are  ornamented  with  bands  and  spots 
arranged  in  the  following  manner:  a  yellow  spot  on  each 
shoulder,  a  broad  yellow  curved  band  or  arch,  of  which  the 
yellow  scutel  forms  the  key-stone,  on  the  base  of  the  wing- 
covers,  behind  this  a  zigzag  yellow  band  forming  the  letter 
W,  across  the  middle  another  yellow  band  arching  back- 
wards, and  on  the  yellow  tip  a  curved  band  and  a  spot  of  a 
black  color ;  the  legs  are  yellow ;  and  the  under  side  of  the 
body  is  reddish  yellow,  variegated  with  brown.  It  is  the 
largest  known  species  of  Clytus,  being  from  nine  to  eleven 
tenths  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  three  or  four  tenths  in 
breadth.  It  lays  its  eggs  on  the  trunk  of  the  maple  in  July 
and  August.  The  grubs  burrow  into  the  bark  as  soon  as 
they  are  hatched,  and  are  thus  protected  during  the  winter. 
In  the  spring  they  penetrate  deeper,  and  form,  in  the  course 
of  the  summer,  long  and  winding  galleries  in  the  wood,  up 
and  down  the  trunk.  In  order  to  check  their  devastations, 
they  should  be  sought  for  in  the  spring,  when  they  will 
readily  be  detected  by  the  sawdust  that  they  cast  out  of  their 
burrows ;  and,  by  a  judicious  use  of  a  knife  and  stiff  wire, 
they  may  be  cut  out  or  destroyed  before  they  have  gone 
deeply  into  the  wood. 

Many  kinds  of  Clytus  frequent  flowers,  for  the  sake  of  the 


THE    PAINTED    CLYTUS.  103 

pollen,  which  they  devour.  During  the  month  of  Septem- 
ber, the  painted  Clytus,  Clytus  pictus,*  (Plate  II.  Fig.  10,)  is 
often  seen  in  abundance,  feeding  by  day  upon  the  blossoms 
of  the  golden-rod.  If  the  trunks  of  our  common  locust-tree, 
RoUnia  pseudacada,  are  examined  at  this  time,  a  still  greater 
number  of  these  beetles  will  be  found  upon  them,  and  most 
often  paired.  The  habits  of  this  insect  seem  to  have  been 
known,  as  long  ago  as  the  year  1771,  to  Dr.  John  Reinhold 
Foster,  who  then  described  it  under  the  name  of  Leptura 
Robinice,  the  latter  being  derived  from  the  tree  which  it 
inhabits.  Drury,  however,  had  previously  described  and 
figured  it,  under  the  specific  name  here  adopted,  which, 
having  the  priority,  in  point  of  time,  over  all  the  others  that 
have  been  subsequently  imposed,  must  be  retained.  This 
Capricorn-beetle  has  the  form  of  the  beautiful  maple  Clytus. 
It  is  velvet-black,  and  ornamented  with  transverse  yellow 
bands,  of  which  there  are  three  on  the  head,  four  on  the 
thorax,  and  six  on  the  wing-covers,  the  tips  of  which  are  also 
edged  with  yellow.  The  first  and  second  bands  on  each 
wing-cover  are  nearly  straight ;  the  third  band  forms  a  V, 
or,  united  with  the  opposite  one,  a  W,  as  in  the  speciosus ; 
the  fourth  is  also  angled,  and  runs  upwards  on  the  inner 
margin  of  the  wing-cover  towards  the  scutel;  the  fifth  is 
broken  or  interrupted  by  a  longitudinal  elevated  line;  and 
the  sixth  is  arched,  and  consists  of  three  little  spots.  The 
antenna?  are  dark  brown ;  and  the  legs  are  rust-red.  These 
insects  vary  from  six  tenths  to  three  quarters  of  an  inch  in 
length. 

In  the  month  of  September  these  beetles  gather  on  the 
locust-trees,  where  they  may  be  seen  glittering  in  the  sun- 
beams with  their  gorgeous  livery  of  black  velvet  and  gold, 
coursing  up  and  down  the  trunks  in  pursuit  of  their  mates, 
or  to  drive  away  their  rivals,  and  stopping  every  now  and 
then  to  salute  those  they  meet  with  a  rapid  bowing  of  the 
shoulders,  accompanied  by  a  creaking  sound,  indicative  of 

*  Leptura picta,  Drury;  Clytus jlexuosus,  Fabricius. 


104  COLEOPTERA. 

recognition  or  defiance.  Having  paired,  the  female,  attend- 
ed by  her  partner,  creeps  over  the  bark,  searching  the 
crevices  with  her  antennae,  and  dropping  therein  her  snow- 
white  eggs,  in  clusters  of  seven  or  eight  together,  and  at 
intervals  of  five  or  six  minutes,  till  her  whole  stock  is  safely 
stored.  The  eggs  are  soon  hatched,  and  the  grubs  immedi- 
ately burrow  into  the  bark,  devouring  the  soft  inner  sub- 
stance that  suffices  for  their  nourishment  till  the  approach 
of  winter,  during  which  they  remain  at  rest  in  a  torpid  state. 
In  the  spring  they  bore  through  the  sap-wood,  more  or  less 
deeply  into  the  trunk,  the  general  course  of  their  winding 
and  irregular  passages  being  in  an  upward  direction  from 
the  place  of  their  entrance.  For  a  time  they  cast  their  chips 
out  of  their  holes  as  fast  as  they  are  made,  but  after  a  while 
the  passage  becomes  clogged  and  the  burrow  more  or  less 
filled  with  the  coarse  and  fibrous  fragments  of  wood,  to  get 
rid  of  which  the  grubs  are  often  obliged  to  open  new  holes 
through  the  bark.  The  seat  of  their  operations  is  known  by 
the  oozing  of  the  sap  and  the  dropping  of  the  sawdust  from 
the  holes.  The  bark  around  the  part  attacked  begins  to 
swell,  and  in  a  few  years  the  trunks  and  limbs  will  become 
disfigured  and  weakened  by  large  porous  tumors,  caused  by 
the  efforts  of  the  trees  to  repair  the  injuries  they  have 
suffered.  According  to  the  observations  of  General  H.  A. 
S.  Dearborn,  who  has  given  an  excellent  account*  of  this 
insect,  the  grubs  attain  their  full  size  by  the  20th  of  July, 
soon  become  pupae,  and  are  changed  to  beetles  and  leave  the 
trees  early  in  September.  Thus  the  existence  of  this  species 
is  limited  to  one  year. 

Whitewashing,  and  covering  the  trunks  of  the  trees  with 
grafting  composition,  may  prevent  the  female  from  deposit- 
ing her  eggs  upon  them  ;  but  this  practice  cannot  be  carried 
to  any  great  extent  in  plantations  or  large  nurseries  of  the 
trees.  Perhaps  it  will  be  useful  to  head  down  young  trees 
to  the  ground,  with  the  view  of  destroying  the  grubs  con- 

*  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Repository  and  Journal,  Vol.  VI.  p.  272. 


THE    TICKLER. 


105 


tained  in  them,  as  well  as  to  promote  a  more  vigorous 
growth.  Much  evil  might  be  prevented  by  employing  chil- 
dren to  collect  the  beetles  while  in  the  act  of  providing  for 
the  continuation  of  their  kind.  A  common  black  bottle,  con- 
taining a  little  water,  would  be  a  suitable  vessel  to  receive 
the  beetles  as  fast  as  they  were  gathered,  and  should  be 
emptied  into  the  fire  in  order  to  destroy  the  insects.  The 
gathering  should  be  begun  as  soon  as  the  beetles  first  appear, 
and  should  be  continued  as  long  as  any  are  found  on  the 
trees,  and  furthermore  should  be  made  a  general  business 
for  several  years  in  succession.  I  have  no  doubt,  should  this 
be  done,  that,,  by  devoting  one  hour  every  day  to  this  object, 
we  may,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  rid  ourselves  of  this 
destructive  insect. 

The  largest  Capricorn-beetle,  of  the  Cerambycian  family, 
found  in  New  England,  is  the  Lamia  {Monohammus  titillator) 
of  Fabricius  (Fig.  50),  or  the  tickler,  so  named  probably  on 

Fig.  50. 


\ 


account  of  the  habit  which  it  has,  in  common  with  most  of 
the  Capricorn-beetles,  of  gently  touching  now  and  then  the 
surface  on  which  it  walks  with  the  tips  of  its  long  anten- 
nae. Three  or  four  of  these  beetles  may  sometimes  be  seen 

14 


106  COLEOPTERA. 

together  in  June  and  July,  on  logs  or  on  the  trunks  of  trees 
in  the  woods,  the  males  paying  their  court  to  the  females, 
or  contending  with  their  rivals,  waving  their  antenna?,  and 
showing  the  eagerness  of  the  contest  or  pursuit  by  their 
rapid  creaking  sounds. 

The  head  of  the  Lamias  is  vertical  or  perpendicular ;  the 
antenna}  of  the  males  are  much  longer  than  the  body,  and 
taper  to  the  end ;  the  thorax  is  cylindrical  before  and  behind, 
and  is  armed  on  the  middle  of  each  side  with  a  very  large 
pointed  wart  or  tubercle ;  the  tips  of  the  wing-covers  are 
rounded ;  and  the  fore  legs  are  longer  than  the  rest,  with 
broad  hairy  soles  in  the  males. 

The  titillator  is  of  a  brownish  color,  variegated  or  mottled 
with  spots  of  gray,  and  the  wing-covers,  which  are  coarsely 
punctured,  have  also  several  small  tufted  black  spots  upon 
them ;  the  middle  legs  are  armed  with  a  small  tooth  on  the 
upper  edge ;  the  antennae  of  the  male  are  twice  as  long  as 
the  body,  and  those  of  the  other  sex  equal  the  body  in 
length,  which  measures  from  one  inch  and  one  eighth  to 
one  inch  and  one  quarter.  What  kind  of  tree  the  grub  of 
this  insect  inhabits  is  unknown  to  me. 

Trees  of  the  poplar  tribe,  both  in  Europe  and  America, 
are  subject  to  the  attacks  of  certain  kinds  of  borers,  differing 
essentially  from  all  the  foregoing  when  arrived  at  maturity. 
They  belong  to  the  genus  Saperda.  In  the  beetle  state  the 
head  is  vertical,  the  antennas  are  about  the  length  of  the 
body  in  both  sexes,  the  thorax  is  cylindrical,  smooth,  and 
unarmed  at  the  sides,  and  the  fore  legs  are  shorter  than  the 
others.  Our  largest  kind  is  the  Saperda  calcarata  of  Say 
(Plate  II.  Fig.  21),  or  the  spurred  Saperda,  so  named 
because  the  tips  of  the  wing-covers  end  with  a  little  sharp 
point  or  spur.  It  is  covered  all  over  with  a  short  and  close 
nap,  which  gives  it  a  fine  blue-gray  color,  it  is  finely  punc- 
tured with  brown,  there  are  four  ochre-yellow  lines  on  the 
head,  and  three  on  the  top  of  the  thorax,  the  scutel  is  also 
ochre-yellow,  and  there  are  several  irregular  lines  and  spots 


THE    TWO-STRIPED    SAPEBDA.  107 

of  the  same  color  on  the  wing-covers.  It  is  from  one  inch 
to  an  inch  and  a  quarter  in  length.  This  beetle  closely 
resembles  the  European-  Saperda  carcharias,  which  inhabits 
the  poplar ;  and  the  grubs  of  our  native  species,  with  those 
of  the  broad-necked  Prionus,  have  almost  entirely  destroyed 
the  Lombardy  poplar  in  this  vicinity.  They  live  also  in  the 
trunks  of  our  American  poplars.  They  are  of  a  yellowish- 
white  color,  except  the  upper  part  of  the  first  segment,  which 
is  dark  buff.  When  fully  grown  they  measure  nearly  two 
inches  in  length.  The  body  is  very  thick,  rather  larger 
before  than  behind,  and  consists  of  twelve  segments  separated 
from  each  other  by  deep  transverse  furrows.  The  first 
segment  is  broad,  and  slopes  obliquely  downwards  to  the 
head ;  the  second  is  very  narrow ;  on  the  upper  and  under 
sides  of  each  of  the  following  segments,  from  the  third 
to  the  tenth  inclusive,  there  is  a  transverse  oval  space, 
rendered  rough  like  a  rasp  by  minute  projections.  These 
rasps  serve  instead  of  legs,  which  are  entirely  wanting.  The 
beetles  may  be  found  on  the  trunks  and  branches  of  the 
various  kinds  of  poplars,  in  August  and  September ;  they 
fly  by  night,  and  sometimes  enter  the  open  windows  of 
houses  in  the  evening. 

The  borers  of  the  apple-tree  have  become  notorious,  through- 
out the  New  England  and  Middle  States,  for  their  extensive 
ravages.  They  are  the  larvae  of  a  beetle  called  Saperda 
bivittata  *  by  Mr.  Say,  the  two-striped,  or  the  brown  and 
white  striped  Saperda  (Plate  H.  Fig.  16)  ;  the  upper  side  of 
its  body  being  marked  with  two  longitudinal  white  stripes 
between  three  of  a  light-brown  color,  while  the  face,  the  an- 
tenna?, the  under  side  of  the  body,  and  the  legs  are  white. 
This  beetle  varies  in  length  from  a  little  more  than  one 
half  to  three  quarters  of  an  inch.  It  comes  forth  from  the 
trunks  of  the  trees,  in  its  perfected  state,  early  in  June, 
making  its  escape  in  the  night,  during  which  time  only  it 
uses  its  ample  wings  in  going  from  tree  to  tree  in  search 

*  Saperda  Candida  ?  Fabricius. 


108  COLEOPTERA. 

of  companions  and  food.     In  the  daytime  it  keeps  at  rest 
among  the  leaves  of  the  plants  which  it  devours. 

The  trees  and  shrubs  principally  attacked  by  this  borer 
are  the  apple-tree,  the  quince,  mountain  ash,  hawthorn  and 
other  thorn  bushes,  the  June-berry  or  shad-bush,  and  other 
kinds  of  Amelanchier  and  Aronia.  Our  native  thorns  and 
Aronias  are  its  natural  food ;  for  I  have  discovered  the  larvae 
in  the  stems  of  these  shrubs,  and  have  repeatedly  found  the 
beetles  upon  them,  eating  the  leaves,  in  June  and  July.  It  is 
in  these  months  that  the  eggs  are  deposited,  being  laid  upon 
the  bark  near  the  root,  during  the  night.  The  larvae  hatched 
therefrom  are  fleshy  whitish  grubs,  nearly  cylindrical,  and 
tapering  a  little  from  the  first  ring  to  the  end  of  the  body. 
(Plate  II.  Fig.  17.)  The  head  is  small,  horny,  and  brown ; 
the  first  ring  is  much  larger  than  the  others,  the  next  two  are 
very  short,  and,  with  the  first,  are  covered  with  punctures 
and  very  minute  hairs ;  the  following  rings,  to  the  tenth 
inclusive,  are  each  furnished,  on  the  upper  and  under  side, 
with  two  fleshy  warts  situated  close  together,  and  destitute 
of  the  little  rasp-like  teeth,  that  are  usually  found  on  the 
grubs  of  the  other  Capricorn-beetles ;  the  eleventh  and  twelfth 
rings  are  very  short ;  no  appearance  of  legs  can  be  seen, 
even  with  a  magnifying  glass  of  high  power. 

The  grub,  with  its  strong  jaws,  cuts  a  cylindrical  passage 
through  the  bark,  and  pushes  its  castings  backwards  out  of 
the  hole  from  time  to  time,  while  it  bores  upwards  into  the 
wood.  The  larva  state  continues  two  or  three  years,  during 
which  the  borer  will  be  found  to  have  penetrated  eight  or  ten 
inches  upwards  in  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  its  burrow  at  the 
end  approaching  to,  and  being  covered  only  by,  the  bark. 
Here  its  transformation  takes  place.  The  pupa  does  not 
differ  much  from  other  pupae  of  beetles ;  but  it  has  a  trans- 
verse row  of  minute  prickles  on  each  of  the  rings  of  the 
back,  and  several  at  the  tip  of  the  abdomen.  These  prob- 
ably assist  the  insect  in  its  movements,  when  casting  off  its 
pupa-skin.  The  final  change  occurs  about  the  first  of  June, 


THE    COATED    SAPERDA.  109 

soon  after  which,  the  beetle  gnaws  through  the  bark  that 
covers  the  end  of  its  burrow,  and  comes  out  of  its  place  of 
confinement  in  the  night. 

Notwithstanding  the  pains  that  have  been  taken  by  some 
persons  to  destroy  and  exterminate  these  pernicious  borers, 
they  continue  to  reappear  in  our  orchards  and  nurseries  every 
season.  The  reasons  of  this  are  to  be  found  in  the  habits  of 
the  insects,  and  in  individual  carelessness.  Many  orchards 
suffer  deplorably  from  the  want  of  proper  attention ;  the 
trees  are  permitted  to  remain,  year  after  year,  without  any 
pains  being  taken  to  destroy  the  numerous  and  various 
insects  that  infest  them ;  old  orchards,  especially,  are  neg- 
lected, and  not  only  the  rugged  trunks  of  the  trees,  but 
even  a  forest  of  unpruned  suckers  around  them,  are  left  to 
the  undisturbed  possession  and  perpetual  inheritance  of  the 
Saperda. 

On  the  means  that  have  been  used  to  destroy  this  borer,  a 
few  remarks  only  need  to  be  made ;  for  it  is  evident  that  they 
can  be  fully  successful  only  when  generally  adopted.  Killing 
it  by  a  wire  thrust  into  the  holes  it  has  made,  is  one  of  the 
oldest,  safest,  and  most  successful  methods.  Cutting  out  the 
grub,  with  a  knife  or  gouge,  is  the  most  common  practice ; 
but  it  is  feared  that  these  tools  have  sometimes  been  used 
without  sufficient  caution.  A  third  method,  which  has  more 
than  once  been  suggested,  consists  in  plugging  the  holes 
with  soft  wood.  If  a  little  camphor  be  previously  inserted, 
this  practice  promises  to  be  more  effectual ;  but  experiments 
are  wanting  to  confirm  its  expediency. 

The  coated  Saperda,  or  Saperda  vestita  (Plate  II.  Fig.  19), 
described  by  Mr.  Say  in  the  Appendix  to  Keating's  Narrative 
of  Major  Long's  Expedition,  resembles  the  foregoing  species 
in  form.  It  measures  from  six  to  eight  tenths  of  an  inch  in 
length  ;  it  is  entirely  covered  with  a  close  greenish-yellow 
down  or  nap,  and  has  two  or  three  small  black  dots  near  the 
middle  of  each  wing-cover.  Mr.  Say  discovered  it  near  the 
southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  states  that  it  is 


110  COLEOPTERA. 

also  sometimes  found  in  Pennsylvania;  but  he  does  not 
appear  to  have  known  anything  of  its  history.  It  is  also 
found  in  Massachusetts,  but  has  been  rarely  seen  until 
within  a  few  years.  One  of  my  specimens  was  taken  in 
Milton  about  twenty  years  ago,  and  several  others  were 
taken  in  Cambridge,  during  the  summers  of  1843  and  1844, 
upon  the  European  lindens,  from  the  trunks  and  branches 
of  which  they  had  just  come  forth.  A  knowledge  of  the 
habits  of  this  insect  might  have  led  to  its  more  frequent 
discovery.  One  of  the  lindens  above  named  was  a  noble 
and  venerable  tree,  with  a  trunk  measuring  eight  feet  and 
five  inches  in  circumference,  three  feet  from  the  ground. 
A  strip  of  the  bark,  two  feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  and 
extending  to  the  top  of  the  trunk,  had  been  destroyed,  and 
the  exposed  surface  of  the  wood  was  pierced  and  grooved 
with  countless  numbers  of  holes,  wherein  the  borers  had 
been  bred,  and  whence  swarms  of  the  beetles  must  have 
issued  in  past  times.  Some  of  the  large  limbs  and  a  portion 
of  the  top  of  the  tree  had  fallen,  apparently  in  consequence 
of  the  ravages  of  these  insects  ;  and  it  is  a  matter  of  surprise 
that  this  fine  linden  should  have  withstood  and  outlived  the 
attacks  of  such  a  host  of  miners  and  sappers. 

The  lindens  of  Philadelphia  have  suffered  much  more 
severely  from  these  borers.  Dr.  Paul  Swift,  in  a  letter 
written  in  May,  1844,  gave  to  me  the  following  interesting 
account  of  them.  "  The  trees  in  Washington  and  Inde- 
pendence Squares  were  first  observed  to  have  been  attacked 
about  seven  years  ago.  Within  two  years,  it  has  been  found 
necessary  to  cut  down  forty-seven  European  lindens  in  the 
former  square  alone,  where  there  now  remain  only  a  few 
American  lindens,  and  these  a  good  deal  eaten."  "  Many 
of  the  beetles  were  found  upon  the  small  branches  and  leaves 
on  the  28th  day  of  May,  and  it  is  said  that  they  come  out 
as  early  as  the  first  of  the  month,  and  continue  to  make 
their  way  through  the  bark  of  the  trunk  and  large  branches 
during  the  whole  of  the  warm  season.  They  immediately  fly 


THE    SAPERDA    TRIDENTATA.  Ill 

into  the  top  of  the  tree,  and  there  feed  upon  the  epidermis  of 
the  tender  twigs,  and  the  petioles  of  the  leaves,  often  wholly 
denuding  the  latter,  and  causing  the  leaves  to  fall.  They 
deposit  their  eggs,  two  or  three  in  a  place,  upon  the  trunk 
and  branches,  especially  about  the  forks,  making  slight  incis- 
ions or  punctures,  for  their  reception,  with  their  strong  jaws. 
As  many  as  ninety  eggs  have  been  taken  from  a  single  beetle. 
The  grubs,  hatched  from  these  eggs,  undermine  the  bark  to 
the  extent  of  six  or  eight  inches,  in  sinuous  channels,  or 
penetrate  the  solid  wood  an  equal  distance.  It  is  supposed 
that  three  years  are  required  to  mature  the  insect.  Various 
expedients  have  been  tried  to  arrest  their  course,  but  without 
effect.  A  stream,  thrown  into  the  tops  of  the  trees  from  the 
hydrant,  is  often  used  with  good  success  to  dislodge  other 
insects  ;  but  the  borer-beetles,  when  thus  disturbed,  take 
wing  and  hover  over  the  trees  till  all  is  quiet,  and  then  alight 
and  go  to  work  again.  The  trunks  and  branches  of  some  of 
the  trees  have  been  washed  over  with  various  preparations 
without  benefit.  Boring  the  trunk  near  the  ground,  and 
putting  in  sulphur  and  other  drugs,  and  plugging,  have  been 
tried  with  as  little  effect." 

This  beetle  I  have  taken  in  Massachusetts  only  in  June, 
mostly  between  the  1st  and  17th,  and  none  after  the  20th 
day  of  the  month.  The  grub  closely  resembles  that  of  the 
apple-tree  borer.  Figures  of  the  insect,  in  all  its  stages, 
may  be  seen  in  the  tenth  volume  of  Hovey's  Magazine, 
page  330. 

There  is  another  destructive  Saperda,  whose  history  re- 
mains to  be  written.  It  is  the  Saperda  tridentata  (Plate  II. 
Fig.  13),  so  named  by  Olivier  on  account  of  the  tridentate 
or  three-toothed  red  border  of  its  wing-covers.  This  beetle 
is  of  a  dark  brown  color,  with  a  tint  of  gray,  owing  to  a 
thin  coating  of  very  short  down.  It  is  ornamented  with  a 
curved  line  behind  the  eyes,  two  stripes  on  the  thorax,  and 
a  three-toothed  or  three-branched  stripe  on  the  outer  edge 
of  each  wing-cover,  of  a  rusty  red  color.  There  are  also 


112  COLEOPTERA. 

six  black  dots  on  the  thorax,  two  above,  and  two  on  the 
sides ;  and  each  of  the  angles  between  the  branches  and  the 
lateral  stripes  of  the  wing-covers  is  marked  with  a  blackish 
spot.  The  two  hinder  branches  are  oblique,  and  extend 
nearly  or  quite  to  the  suture ;  the  anterior  branch  is  short 
and  hooked.  Its  average  length  is  about  half  an  inch ;  but 
it  varies  from  four  to  six  tenths  of  an  inch.  The  males  are 
smaller  than  the  females,  but  have  longer  antennae. 

This  pretty  beetle  has  been  long  known  to  me,  but  its 
habits  were  not  ascertained  till  the  year  1847.  On  the  19th 
of  June,  in  that  year,  Theophilus  Parsons,  Esq.  sent  me 
some  fragments  of  bark  and  insects  which  were  taken  by 
Mr.  J.  Richardson  from  the  decaying  elms  on  Boston  Com- 
mon ;  and,  among  the  insects,  I  recognized  a  pair  of  these 
beetles  in  a  living  state.  My  curiosity  was  immediately 
excited  to  learn  something  more  concerning  these  beetles  and 
their  connection  with  the  trees,  but  was  not  satisfied  by  a 
partial  examination  made  in  the  course  of  the  summer.  It 
was  not  till  the  following  winter,  that  an  opportunity  was 
afforded  for  a  thorough  search,  with  the  permission  of  the 
Mayor,  the  Hon.  Josiah  Quincy,  Jun.,  and  with  the  help  of 
the  Superintendent  of  the  Common. 

The  trees  were  found  to  have  suffered  terribly  from  the 
ravages  of  these  insects.  Several  of  them  had  already  been 
cut  down,  as  past  recovery ;  others  were  in  a  dying  state, 
and  nearly  all  of  them  were  more  or  less  affected  with  disease 
pr  premature  decay.  Their  bark  was  perforated,  to  the  height 
of  thirty  feet  from  the  ground,  with  numerous  holes,  through 
which  insects  had  escaped ;  and  large  pieces  had  become  so 
loose,  by  the  undermining  of  the  grubs,  as  to  yield  to  slight 
efforts,  and  come  off  in  flakes.  The  inner  bark  was  filled 
with  the  burrows  of  the  grubs,  great  numbers  of  which,  in 
various  stages  of  growth,  together  with  some  in  the  pupa 
state,  were  found  therein  ;  and  even  the  surface  of  the  wood, 
in  many  cases,  was  furrowed  with  their  irregular  tracks. 
Very  rarely  did  they  seem  to  have  penetrated  far  into  the 


THE    SAPEEDA    TRIDENTATA.  113 

wood  itself;  but  their  operations  were  mostly  confined  to  the 
inner  layers  of  the  bark,  which  thereby  became  loosened  from 
the  wood  beneath.  The  grubs  rarely  exceed  three  quarters 
of  an  inch  in  length.  They  have  no  feet,  and  they  resemble 
the  larvae  of  other  species  of  Saperda,  except  in  being  rather 
more  flattened.  They  appear  to  complete  their  "transforma- 
tions in  the  third  year  of  their  existence. 

The  beetles  probably  leave  their  holes  in  the  bark  during 
the  month  of  June  and  in  the  beginning  of  July ;  for,  in  the 
course  of  thirty  years,  I  have  repeatedly  taken  them  at 
various  dates,  from  the  5th  of  June  to  the  10th  of  July. 
It  is  evident,  from  the  nature  and  extent  of  their  depreda- 
tions, that  these  insects  have  alarmingly  hastened  the  decay 
of  the  elm-trees  on  Boston  Mall  and  Common,  and  that  they 
now  threaten  their  entire  destruction.  Other  causes,  how- 
ever, have  probably  contributed  to  the  same  end.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  these  trees  have  greatly  suffered,  in  past 
times,  from  the  ravages  of  canker-worms.  Moreover,  the 
impenetrable  state  of  the  surface-soil,  the  exhausted  condition 
of  the  subsoil,  and  the  deprivation  of  all  benefit  from  the 
decomposition  of  accumulated  leaves,  which,  in  a  state  of 
nature,  the  trees  would  have  enjoyed,  but  which  a  regard  for 
neatness  has  industriously  removed,  have  doubtless  had  no 
small  influence  in  diminishing  the  vigor  of  the  trees,  and 
thus  made  them  fall  unresistingly  a  prey  to  insect-devourers. 
The  plan  of  this  work  precludes  a  more  full  consideration 
of  these  and  other  topics  connected  with  the  growth  and . 
decay  of  these  trees ;  and  I  can  only  add,  that  it  may  be 
prudent  to  cut  down  and  burn  all  that  are  much  infested 
by  the  borers. 

The  tall  blackberry,  Rubus  villosus,  is  sometimes  cultivated 
among  us  for  the  sake  of  its  fruit,  which  richly  repays  the 
care  thus  bestowed  upon  it.  It  does  not  seem  to  be  known 
that  this  plant  and  its  near  relation,  the  raspberry,  suffer 
from  borers  that  live  in  the  pith  of  the  stems.  These  borers 
differ  somewhat  from  the  preceding,  being  cylindrical  in  the 
15 


114  COLEOPTERA. 

middle,  and  thickened  a  little  at  each  end.  The  head  is 
proportionally  larger  than  in  the  other  borers  ;  the  first  three 
rings  of  the  body  are  short,  the  second  being  the  widest,  and 
each  of  them  is  provided  beneath  with  a  pair  of  minute 
sharp-pointed  warts  or  imperfect  legs ;  the  remaining  rings 
are  smooth,  and  without  tubercles  or  rasps ;  the  last  three 
are  rather  thicker  than  those  which  immediately  precede 
them,  and  the  twelfth  ring  is  very  obtusely  rounded  at  the 
end.  The  beetles  from  these  borers  are  very  slender,  and 
of  a  cylindrical  form,  and  their  antennas  are  of  moderate 
length  and  do  not  taper  much  towards  the  end. 

The  species  which  attacks  the  blackberry  appears  to  be  the 
Saperda  (  Oberea)  tripunctata  of  Fabricius  (Fig. 
51).  It  is  of  a  deep  black  color,  except  the 
fore  part  of  the  breast  and  the  top  of  the  tho- 
rax, which  are  rusty  yellow,  and  there  are  two 
black  elevated  dots  on  the  middle  of  the  thorax, 
and  a  third  dot  on  the  hinder  edge  close  to  the 
scutel ;  the  wing-covers  are  coarsely  punctured, 
in  rows  on  the  top,  and  irregularly  on  the  sides  and  tips, 
each  of  which  is  slightly  notched  and  ends  with  two  little 
points.  The  two  black  dots  on  the  middle  of  the  thorax  are 
sometimes  wanting.  This  beetle  varies  from  three  tenths 
to  half  an  inch  in  length.  It  finishes  its  transformations 
towards  the  end  of  July,  and  lays  its  eggs  early  in  August, 
one  by  one,  on  the  stems  of  the  blackberry  and  raspberry, 
near  a  leaf  or  small  twig.  The  grubs  burrow  directly  into 
{lie  pith,  which  they  consume  as  they  proceed,  so  that  the 
stem,  for  the  distance  of  several  inches,  is  completely 
deprived  of  its  pith,  and  consequently  withers  and  dies 
before  the  end  of  the  summer.  In  Europe  one  of  these 
slender  Saperdas  attacks  the  hazel-bush,  and  another  the 
twigs  of  the  pear-tree,  in  the  same  way. 

The  Lepturians,  or  LEPTURAD^E,  constitute  the  third  fam- 
ily of  the  Capricorn-beetles.  In  most  of  them  the  body  is 
narrowed  behind,  which  is  the  origin  of  the  name  applied 


THE    LEPTURIANS.  115 

to  them,  signifying  really  narrow  tail.  They  differ  from  the 
other  Capricorn-beetles  in  the  form  of  their  eyes,  which  are 
not  deeply  notched,  but  are  either  oval  or  rounded  and  prom- 
inent, and  the  antennae  are  more  distant  from  them,  and  are 
implanted  near  the  middle  of  the  forehead.  Moreover,  the 
head  is  not  deeply  sunk  in  the  fore  part  of  the  thorax,  but  is 
connected  with  it  by  a  narrowed  neck.  The  thorax  varies 
somewhat  in  shape,  but  is  generally  narrowed  before  and 
widened  behind.  The  Lepturians  are  often  gayly  colored, 
and  fly  about  by  day,  visiting  flowers  for  the  sake  of  the 
pollen  and  tender  leaves,  which  they  eat.  Their  grubs  live 
in  the  trunks  and  stumps  of  trees,  are  rather  broad  and 
somewhat  flattened,  and  are  mostly  furnished  with  six  ex- 
tremely short  legs. 

The  largest  and  finest  of  these  beetles  in  New  England  is 
the  Desmocerus  pattiatus,*  (Plate  II.  Fig.  18,)  which  appears 
on  the  flowers  and  leaves  of  the  common  elder  towards  the 
end  of  June  and  until  the  middle  of  July.  It  is  of  a  deep 
violet  or  Prussian-blue  color,  sometimes  glossed  with  green, 
and  nearly  one  half  of  the  fore  part  of  the  wing-covers  is 
orange-yellow,  suggesting  the  idea  of  a  short  cloak  of  this 
color  thrown  over  the  shoulders,  which  the  name  pattiatus, 
that  is,  cloaked,  was  designed  to  express.  The  head  is  nar- 
row. The  thorax  has  nearly  the  form  of  a  cone  cut  off  at 
the  top,  being  narrow  before  and  wide  behind ;  it  is  somewhat 
uneven,  and  has  a  little  sharp  projecting  point  on  each  side 
of  the  base.  The  antennas  have  the  third  and  the  three  fol- 
lowing joints  abruptly  thickened  at  the  extremity,  giving 
them  the  knotty  appearance  indicated  by  the  generical  name 
Desmocerus^  which  signifies  knotty  horn.  The  larvae  live  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  stems  of  the  elder,  and  devour  the  pith ; 
they  have  hitherto  escaped  my  researches,  but  I  have  found 
the  beetles  in  the  burrows  made  by  them. 

The  bark  of  the  pitch-pine  is  often  extensively  loosened  by 
the  grubs  of  Lepturians  at  work  beneath  it,  in  consequence 

*  Cerambyx  palliatus  of  Forster;  Stenocorus  cyaneus,  Fabricius. 
15* 


COLEOPTERA. 

of  which  it  falls  off  in  large  flakes,  and  the  tree  perishes. 
These  grubs  live  between  the  bark  and  the  wood,  often  in 
great  numbers  together,  and,  when  they  are  about  to  become 
pupae,  each  one  surrounds  itself  with  an  oval  ring  of  woody 
fibres,  within  which  it  undergoes  its  transformations.  The 
beetle  is  matured  before  winter,  but  does  not  leave  the  tree 
until  spring.  It  is  the  ribbed  Rhagium,  or 
Rhagium  lineatum*  (Fig.  52,)  so  named  be- 
cause it  has  three  elevated  longitudinal  lines  or 
ribs  on  each  wing-cover  ;  and  it  measures  from 
four  and  a  half  to  seven  tenths  of  an  inch  in 
length.  The  head  and  thorax  are  gray,  striped 
with  black,  and  thickly  punctured ;  the  anten- 
nae are  about  as  long  as  the  two  forenamed  parts  of  the  body 
together ;  the  thorax  is  narrow,  cylindrical  before  and  behind, 
and  swelled  out  in  the  middle  by  a  large  pointed  wart  or 
tubercle  on  each  side ;  the  wing-covers  are  wide  at  the 
shoulders,  gradually  taper  behind,  and  are  slightly  convex 
above ;  they  are  coarsely  punctured  between  the  smooth  ele- 
vated lines,  and  are  variegated  with  reddish  ash-color  and 
black,  the  latter  forming  two  irregular  transverse  bands  ;  the 
under  side  of  the  body,  and  the  legs,  are  variegated  with  dull 
red,  gray,  and  black.  The  gray  portions  on  this  beetle  are 
occasioned  by  very  short  hairs,  forming  a  close  kind  of  nap, 
which  is  easily  rubbed  off. 

The  Buprestians  and  the  Capricorn-beetles  seem  evidently 
allied  in  their  habits,  both  being  borers  during  the  greater 
part  of  their  lives,  and  living  in  the  trunks  and  limbs  of  trees, 
to  which  they  are  more  or  less  injurious  in  proportion  to  their 
numbers.  Some  of  the  beetles  in  these  two  groups  resemble 
each  other  closely  in  their  forms  and  habits.  The  resem- 
blance between  the  slender  cylindrical  Saperdas  and  some 
of  the  cylindrical  Buprestians  belonging  to  the  genus  Ayrilus, 
is  indeed  very  remarkable,  and  cannot  fail  to  strike  a  common 
observer.  Their  larvae  also  are  not  only  very  similar  in 

*  Stenocorus  Uneatm  of  Olivier. 


THE    LEAF-BEETLES.  117 

their  forms,  but  they  have  the  same  habits ;  living  in  the 
centre  of  stems,  and  devouring  the  pith. 

The  insects  that  have  passed  under  consideration  in  the 
foregoing  part  of  this  treatise  spend  by  far  the  greater  por- 
tion of  their  lives,  namely,  that  wherein  they  are  larvae  only, 
in  obscurity,  buried  in  the  ground,  or  concealed  within  the 
roots,  the  stems,  or  the  seeds  of  plants,  where  they  perform 
their  appointed  tasks  unnoticed  and  unknown.  Thus  the 
work  of  destruction  goes  secretly  and  silently  on,  till  it  be- 
comes manifest  by  its  melancholy  consequences  ;  and  too  late 
we  discover  the  hidden  foes  that  have  disappointed  the  hopes 
of  the  husbandman,  and  ruined  those  spontaneous  produc- 
tions of  the  soil  that  constitute  so  important  a  source  of  our 
comfort  and  prosperity. 

There  still  remain  several  groups  of  beetles  to  be  described, 
consisting  almost  entirely  of  insects  that  spend  the  whole,  or 
the  principal  part,  of  their  lives  upon  the  leaves  of  plants, 
and  which,  as  they  derive  their  nourishment,  both  in  the 
larva  and  adult  states,  from  leaves  alone,  may  be  called  leaf- 
beetles,  or,  as  they  have  recently  been  named,  phyllophagous, 
that  is,  leaf-eating  insects.  When,  as  in  certain  seasons,  they 
appear  in  considerable  numbers,  they  do  not  a  little  injury 
to  vegetation,  and,  being  generally  exposed  to  view  on  the 
leaves  that  they  devour,  they  soon  attract  attention.  But 
the  power  possessed  by  most  plants  of  renewing  their  foli- 
age, enables  them  soon  to  recover  from  the  attacks  of  these 
devourers ;  and  the  injury  sustained,  unless  often  repeated, 
is  rarely  attended  by  the  ruinous  consequences  that  follow 
the  hidden  and  unsuspected  ravages  of  those  insects  that  sap 
vegetation  in  its  most  vital  parts.  Moreover,  the  leaf-eaters 
are  more  within  our  reach,  and  it  is  not  so  difficult  to  destroy 
them,  and  protect  plants  from  their  depredations.  The  leaf- 
beetles  are  generally  distinguished  by  the  want  of  a  snout,  by 
their  short  legs  and  broad  cushioned  feet,  and  their  antennae 
of  moderate  length,  often  thickened  a  h'ttle  towards  the  end, 
or  not  distinctly  tapering.  Some  of  them  have  an  oblong 


118  COLEOPTERA. 

body  and  a  narrow  or  cylindrical  thorax,  and  resemble  very 
much  some  of  the  Lepturians,  with  which  Linna3us  included 
them.  Others,  and  indeed  the  greater  number,  have  the 
body  oval,  broad,  and  often  very  convex. 

The  oblong  leaf-beetles,  called  Criocerians  (CRIOCERIDID.E), 
have  some  resemblance  to  the  Capricorn-beetles.  They  are 
distinguished  by  the  following  characters.  The  eyes  are 
prominent  and  nearly  round ;  the  antennae  are  of  moderate 
length,  composed  of  short,  nearly  cylindrical  or  beaded  joints, 
and  are  implanted  before  the  eyes  ;  the  thorax  is  narrow  and 
almost  cylindrical  or  square ;  the  wing-covers,  taken  together, 
form  an  oblong  square,  rounded  behind,  and  much  wider 
than  the  thorax ;  and  the  thighs  of  the  hind  legs  are  often 
thickened  in  the  middle. 

The  three-lined  leaf-beetle,  Crioceris  trilineata  of  Olivier,13 
(Fig.  53,)  will  serve  to  exemplify  the  habits  of 
the  greater  part  of  the  insects  of  this  family. 
This  beetle  is  about  one  quarter  of  an  inch  long, 
of  a  rusty  buff  or  nankin-yellow  color,  with  two 
black  dots  on  the  thorax,  and  three  black  stripes 
on  the  back,  namely,  one  on  the  outer  side  of  each 
wing-cover,  and  one  in  the  middle  on  the  inner 
edges  of  the  same;  the  antennae  (except  the  first  joint),  the 
outside  of  the  shins,  and  the  feet  are  dusky.  The  thorax  is 
abruptly  narrowed  or  pinched  in  on  the  middle  of  each  side. 
When  held  between  the  fingers,  these  insects  make  a  creak- 
ing sound  like  the  Capricorn-beetles.  They  appear  early  in 
June  on  the  leaves  of  the  potato-vines,  having  at  that  time 
recently  come  out  of  the  ground,  where  they  pass  the  winter 
in  the  pupa  state.  Within  a  few  years,  these  insects  have 
excited  some  attention,  on  account  of  their  prevalence  in 
some  parts  of  the  country,  and  from  a  mistaken  notion  that 
they  were  the  cause  of  the  potato-rot.  They  eat  the  leaves 

[U  The  genus  Crioceris  as  now  restricted  contains  only  species  indigenous  to  the 
other  continent,  although  one  of  them,  C.  asparagi,  has  been  recently  introduced 
from  Europe,  and  is  found  abundantly  near  Brooklyn,  New  York.  The  species 
above  mentioned  belongs  to  Lenta.  —  LEC.] 


THE    LEAF-BEETLES.  119 

of  the  potato,  gnawing  large  and  irregular  holes  through 
them ;  and,  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  begin  to  lay  their 
oblong  oval  golden-yellow  eggs,  which  are  glued  to  the 
leaves,  in  parcels  of  six  or  eight  together.  The  grubs, 
which  are  hatched  in  about  a  fortnight  afterwards,  are  of  a 
dirty  yellowish  or  ashen-white  color,  with  a  darker-colored 
head,  and  two  dark  spots  on  the  top  of  the  first  wing.  They 
are  rather  short,  approaching  to  a  cylindrical  form,  but 
thickest  in  the  middle,  and  have  six  legs,  arranged  in  pairs 
beneath  the  first  three  rings.  After  making  a  hearty  meal 
upon  the  leaves  of  the  potato,  they  cover  themselves  with 
their  own  filth.  The  vent  is  situated  on  the  upper  side  of 
the  last  ring,  so  that  their  dung  falls  upon  their  backs,  and, 
by  motions  of  the  body,  is  pushed  forwards,  as  fast  as  it  ac- 
cumulates, towards  the  head,  until  the  whole  of  the  back  is 
entirely  coated  with  it.  This  covering  shelters  their  soft  and 
tender  bodies  from  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  probably  serves 
to  secure  them  from  the  attacks  of  their  enemies.  When 
it  becomes  too  heavy  or  too  dry,  it  is  thrown  off,  but  re- 
placed again  by  a  fresh  coat  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours. 
In  eating,  the  grubs  move  backwards,  never  devouring  the 
portion  of  the  leaf  immediately  before  the  head,  but  that 
which  lies  under  it.  Their  numbers  are  sometimes  very- 
great,  and  the  leaves  are  then  covered  and  nearly  consumed 
by  these  filthy  insects.  When  about  fifteen  days  old,  they 
throw  off  their  loads,  creep  down  the  plant,  and  bury  them- 
selves in  the  ground.  Here  each  one  forms  for  itself  a  little 
cell  of  earth,  cemented  and  varnished  within  by  a  gummy 
fluid  discharged  from  its  mouth,  and  when  this  is  done,  it 
changes  to  a  pupa.  In  about  a  fortnight  more  the  insect 
throws  off  its  pupa  skin,  breaks  open  its  earthen  cell,  and 
crawls  out  of  the  ground.  The  beetles  come  out  towards 
the  end  of  July  or  early  in  August,  and  lay  their  eggs  for 
a  second  brood  of  grubs.  The  latter  come  to  their  growth 
and  go  into  the  ground  in  the  autumn,  and  remain  there 
in  the  pupa  form  during  the  winter. 


120  COLEOPTERA. 

The  only  method  that  occurs  to  me,  by  means  of  which 
we  may  get  rid  of  them,  when  they  are  so  numerous  as  to 
be  seriously  injurious  to  plants,  is  to  brush  them  from  the 
leaves  into  shallow  vessels  containing  a  little  salt  and  water 
or  vinegar. 

O 

The  habits  of  the  flispas,  little  leaf-beetles,  forming  the 
family  HISPAD^E,  were  first  made  known  by  me  in  the  year 
1835,  in  the  "  Boston  Journal  of  Natural  History,"  *  where 
a  detailed  account  of  them,  with  descriptions  of  three  native 
species,  and  figures  of  the  larvae  and  pupae,  may  be  found. 
The  upper  side  of  the  beetles  is  generally  rough,  as  the 
generical  name  implies.  The  larvae  burrow  under  the  skin 
of  the  leaves  of  plants,  and  eat  the  pulpy  substance  within, 
so  that  the  skin,  over  and  under  the  place  of  their  opera- 
tions, turns  brown  and  dries,  and  has  somewhat  of  a  blistered 
appearance,  and  within  these  blistered  spots  the  larvae  or 
grubs,  the  pupae,  or  the  beetles  may  often  be  found.  The 
eggs  of  these  insects  are  little  rough  blackish  grains,  and 
are  glued  to  the  surface  of  the  leaves,  sometimes  singly,  and 
sometimes  in  clusters  of  four  or  five  together.  The  grubs 
of  our  common  species  are  about  one  fifth  of  an  inch  in 
length,  when  iully  grown.  The  body  is  oblong,  flattened, 
rather  broader  before  than  behind,  soft,  and  of  a  whitish 
color,  except  the  head  and  the  top  of  the  first  ring,  which 
are  brown,  or  blackish,  and  of  a  horny  consistence.  It  has 
a  pair  of  legs  to  each  of  the  first  three  rings ;  the  other 
rings  are  provided  with  small  fleshy  warts  at  the  sides,  and 
transverse  rows  of  little  rasp-like  points  above  and  beneath. 
The  pupa  state  lasts  only  about  one  week,  soon  after  which 
the  beetles  come  out  of  their  burrows. 

The  leaves  of  the  apple-tree  are  inhabited  by  some  of  these 
little  mining  insects,  which  in  the  beetle  state  are  probably 
the  Hispa  rosea^  of  Weber,  or  the  rosy  Hispa  (Fig.  54). 
They  are  of  a  deep  or  tawny  reddish-yellow  color  above, 
marked  with  little  deep  red  lines  and  spots.  The  head  is 

*  Vol.  I.  p.  141.  f  Hispa  quadrata,  Fabricius;  H.  marginata,  Say. 


THE    ROSY    HISPA.  121 

small  ;  the  antennas  are  short,  thickened  towards  the  end, 
and  of  a  black  color;  the  thorax  is  narrow  Kg. 54. 
before  and  wide  behind,  rough  above,  striped 
with  deep  red  on  each  side ;  the  wing-covers 
taken  together  form  an  oblong  square  ;  there 
are  three  smooth  longitudinal  lines  or  ribs  on 
each  of  them,  spotted  with  blood-red,  and  the 
spaces  between  these  lines  are  deeply  punc- 
tured in  double  rows ;  the  under  side  of  the  body  is  black, 
and  the  legs  are  short  and  reddish.  They  measure  about 
one  fifth  of  an  inch  in  length.  These  beetles  may  be  found 
on  the  leaves  of  the  apple-tree,  and  very  abundantly  on 
those  of  the  shad-bush  (Amelanchier  ovalis),  and  choke-berry 
(Pyrw  arbutifolia),  during  the  latter  part  of  May  and  the 
beginning  of  June. 

In  the  middle  of  June,  another  kind  of  Hispa  may  be 
found  pairing  and  laying  eggs  on  the  leaves  of  the  locust- 
tree.  The  grubs  appear  during  the  month  of  July,  and  are 
transformed  to  beetles  in  August.  They  measure  nearly 
one  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length,  are  bf  a  tawny  yellow 
color,  with  a  black  longitudinal  line  on  the  middle  of  the 
back,  partly  on  one  and  partly  on  the  other  whig-cover,  the 
inner  edges  of  which  meet  together  and  form  what  is  called 
the  suture ;  whence  this  species  was  named  Hispa  swturalis 
by  Fabricius  ;  the  head,  antennae,  body  beneath,  and  legs  are 
black  ;  and  the  wing-covers  are  not  so  square  behind  as  in 
the  rosy  Hispa. 

The  tortoise-beetles,  as  they  are  familiarly  called  from 
their  shape,  are  leaf-eating  insects,  belonging  to  the  family 
CASSIDAD^:.  This  name,  derived  from  a  word  signifying  a 
helmet,  is  applied  to  them  because  the  fore  part  of  the 
semicircular  thorax  generally  projects  over  the  head  like  the 
front  of  a  helmet.  In  these  beetles  the  body  is  broad  oval 
or  rounded,  flat  beneath,  and  slightly  convex  above.  The 
antennas  are  short,  slightly  thickened  at  the  end,  and  inserted 
close  together  on  the  crown  of  the  head.  The  latter  is  small, 
16 


122  COLEOPTERA. 

and  concealed  under,  or  deeply  sunk  into,  the  thorax.  The 
legs  are  very  short,  and  hardly  seen  from  above.  These 
insects  are  often  gayly  colored  or  spotted,  which  increases 
their  resemblance  to  a  tortoise ;  they  creep  slowly,  and  fly 
by  day.  Their  larvae  and  pupae  resemble  those  of  the 
following  species  in  most  respects. 

Cassida  aurichalcea  (Plate  I.  Fig.  5),  so  named  by  Fabri- 
cius  on  account  of  the  brilliant  brassy  or  golden  lustre  it 
assumes,  is  found  during  most  of  the  summer  months  on 
the  leaves  of  the  bitter-sweet  (SoUmwm  dulcamara),  and  in 
great  abundance  on  various  kinds  of  Convolvulus,  such  as  our 
large-flowered  Convolvulus  sepium,  the  morning-glory,  and 
the  sweet-potato  vine.  The  leaves  of  these  plants  are  eaten 
both  by  the  beetles  and  their  young.  The  former  begin  to 
appear  during  the  months  of  May  and  June,  having  probably 
survived  the  winter  in  some  place  of  shelter  and  concealment, 
and  then*  larvae  in  a  week  or  two  afterwards.  The  larvae 
are  broad  oval,  flattened,  dark-colored  grubs 
(Fig.  55),  with  a  kind  of  fringe,  composed  of 
stiff  prickles,  around  the  thin  edges  of  the 
body,  and  a  long  forked  tail.  This  fork  serves 
to  hold  the  excrement  when  voided  ;  and  a 
mass  of  it  half  as  large  as  the  body  of  the 
insect  is  often  thus  accumulated.  The  tail, 
with  the  loaded  fork,  is  turned  over  the  back, 
and  thus  protects  the  insect  from  the  sun,  and  probably  also 
from  its  enemies.  The  first  broods  of  larvae  arrive  at  their 
growth  and  change  to  pupae  early  in  July,  fixing  themselves 
firmly  by  the  hinder  part  of  their  bodies  to  the  leaves,  when 
this  change  is  about  to  take  place.  The  pupa  remains 
fastened  to  the  cast-skin  of  the  larva.  It  is  broad  oval, 
fringed  at  the  sides,  and  around  the  fore  part  of  the  broad 
thorax,  with  large  prickles.  Soon  afterwards  the  beetles 
come  forth,  and  lay  their  eggs  for  a  second  brood  of  grubs, 
which,  in  turn,  are  changed  to  beetles  in  the  course  of  the 
autumn.  In  June,  1824,  the  late  Mr.  John  Lowell  sent  me 


THE    CHRYSOMELIANS.  123 

specimens  of  this  little  beetle,  which  he  found  to  be  injurious 
to  the  sweet-potato  vine,  by  eating  large  holes  through  the 
leaves.  This  beetle  is  very  broad  oval  in  shape,  and  about 
one  fifth  of  an  inch  in  length.  When  living,  it  has  the 
power  of  changing  its  hues,  at  one  time  appearing  only  of 
a  dull  yellow  color,  and  at  other  times  shining  with  the 
splendor  of  polished  brass  or  gold,  tinged  sometimes  also 
with  the  variable  tints  of  pearl.  The  body  of  the  insect  is 
blackish  beneath,  and  the  legs  are  dull  yellow.  It  loses  its 
brilliancy  after  death.  The  wing-covers,  the  parts  which  ex- 
hibit the  change  of  color,  are  lined  beneath  with  an  orange- 
colored  paint,  which  seems  to  be  filled  with  little  vessels ; 
and  these  are  probably  the  source  of  the  changeable  bril- 
liancy of  the  insect. 

The  Chrysomelians  (CHRYSOMELADJS)  compose  an  exten- 
sive tribe  of  leaf-eating  beetles,  formerly  included  in  the 
old  genus  Chrysomela.  The  meaning  of  this  word  is  golden 
beetle,  and  many  of  the  insects  to  which  it  was  applied  by 
LinnaBus  are  of  brilliant  and  metallic  colors.  They  differ, 
however,  so  much  in  their  essential  characters,  their  forms, 
and  their  habits,  that  they  are  now  very  properly  distributed 
into  four  separate  groups  or  families.  The  first  of  these, 
called  GALERUCAD^E,  or  Galerucians,  consists  mostly  of  dull- 
colored  beetles ;  having  an  oblong  oval,  slightly  convex  body ; 
a  short,  and  rather  narrow,  and  uneven  thorax  ;  slender 
antennae,  more  than  half  the  length  of  the  body,  and  im- 
planted close  together  on  the  forehead ;  slender  legs,  which  are 
nearly  equal  in  size  ;  and  claws  split  at  the  end.  They  fly 
mostly  by  day,  and  are  by  nature  either  very  timid  or  very 
cunning,  for,  when  we  attempt  to  take  hold  of  them,  they 
draw  up  their  legs,  and  fall  to  the  ground.  They  sometimes 
do  great  injury  to  plants,  eating  large  holes  in  the  leaves,  or 
consuming  entirely  those  that  are  young  and  tender.  The 
larvae  are  rather  short  cylindrical  grubs,  generally  of  a  black- 
ish color,  and  are  provided  with  six  legs.  They  live  and 
feed  together  in  swarms,  and  sometimes  appear  in  very  great 
16* 


124  COLEOPTERA. 

numbers  on  the  leaves  of  plants,  committing  ravages,  at  these 
times,  as  extensive  as  those  of  the  most  destructive  caterpil- 
lars. This  was  the  case  in  1837  at  Sevres,  in  France,  and 
in  1838  and  1839  in  Baltimore  and  its  vicinity,  where  the 
elm-trees  were  entirely  stripped  of  their  leaves  during  mid- 
summer by  swarms  of  the  larvae  of  Graleruca  CcHmariensis  ; 
and,  in  the  latter  place,  after  the  trees  had  begun  to  revive, 
and  were  clothed  with  fresh  leaves,  they  were  again  attacked 
by  new  broods  of  these  noxious  grubs.  These  insects,  which 
were  undoubtedly  introduced  into  America  with  the  Euro- 
pean elm,  are  as  yet  unknown  in  the  New  England  States. 
The  eggs  of  the  Galerucians  are  generally  laid  in  little 
clusters  or  rows  along  the  veins  of  the  leaves,  and  those  of 
the  elm  Galeruca  are  of  a  yellow  color.  The  pupa  state  of 
some  species  occurs  on  the  leaves,  of  others  in  the  ground  ; 
and  some  of  the  larva?  live  also  in  the  ground  on  the  roots 
of  plants. 

One  of  the  most  common  kinds  is  the  G-aleruca  vittata,*  or 
striped  Galeruca,  (Plate  II.  Fig.  3,)  generally  known  here 
by  die  names  of  striped  bug,  and  cucumber-beetle.  This 
destructive  insect  is  of  a  light-yellow  color  above,  with  a 
black  head,  and  a  broad  black  stripe  on  each  wing-cover,  the 
inner  edge  or  suture  of  which  is  also  black,  forming  a  third 
narrower  stripe  down  the  middle  of  the  back ;  the  abdomen, 
the  greater  part  of  the  fore  legs,  and  the  knees  and  feet  of 
the  other  legs,  are  black.  It  is  rather  less  than  one  fifth  of 
an  inch  long.  Early  in  the  spring  it  devours  the  tender 
leaves  of  various  plants.  I  have  found  it  often  on  those  of 
our  Aronias,  Amelanchier  botryapium  and  ovalis,  and  Pyrus 
arbutifolia,  towards  the  end  of  April.  It  makes  its  first 
appearance,  on  cucumber,  squash,  and  melon  vines,  about 
the  last  of  May  and  first  of  June,  or  as  soon  as  the  leaves 
begin  to  expand ;  and,  as  several  broods  are  produced  in  the 
course  of  the  summer,  it  may  be  found  at  various  times  on 
these  plants,  till  the  latter  are  destroyed  by  frost.  Great 

*  Crioceris  vittata  of  Fabricius. 


THE    CUCUMBER-BEETLE.  125 

numbers  of  these  little  beetles  may  be  obtained  in  the  autumn 
from  the  flowers  of  squash  and  pumpkin  vines,  the  pollen  and 
germs  of  which  they  are  very  fond  of.  They  get  into  the 
blossoms  as  soon  as  the  latter  are  opened,  and  are  often 
caught  there  by  the  twisting  and  closing  of  the  top  of  the 
flower  ;  and,  when  they  want  to  make  their  escape,  they  are 
obliged  to  gnaw  a  hole  through  the  side  of  their  temporary 
prison.  The  females  lay  their  eggs  in  the  ground,  and  the 
larvae  probably  feed  on  the  roots  of  plants,  but  they  have 
liitherto  escaped  my  researches. 

Various  means  have  been  suggested  and  tried  to  prevent 
the  ravages  of  these  striped  cucumber-beetles,  which  have 
become  notorious  throughout  the  country  for  their  attacks 
upon  the  leaves  of  the  cucumber  and  squash.  Dr.  B.  S. 
Barton,  of  Philadelphia,  recommended  sprinkling  the  vines 
with  a  mixture  of  tobacco  and  red  pepper,  which  he  stated 
to  be  attended  with  great  benefit.  Watering  the  vines  with 
a  solution  of  one  ounce  of  Glauber's  salts  in  a  quart  of  water, 
or  with  tobacco-water,  an  infusion  of  elder,  of  walnut-leaves, 
or  of  hops,  has  been  highly  recommended.  Mr.  Gourgas,  of 
Weston,  has  found  no  application  so  useful  as  ground  plaster 
of  Paris  ;  and  a  writer  in  the  "  American  Farmer  "  extols  the 
use  of  charcoal  dust.  Deane  recommended  sifting  powdered 
soot  upon  the  plants  when  they  are  wet  with  the  morning 
dew,  and  others  have  advised  sulphur  and  Scotch  snuff  to  be 
applied  in  the  same  way.  As  these  insects  fly  by  night,  as 
well  as  by  day,  and  are  attracted  by  lights,  burning  splinters 
of  pine  knots  or  of  staves  of  tar-barrels,  stuck  into  the 
ground  during  the  night,  around  the  plants,  have  been  found 
useful  in  destroying  these  beetles.  The  most  effectual  pre- 
servative, both  against  these  insects  and  the  equally  destruc- 
tive black  flea-beetles  which  infest  the  vines  in  the  spring, 
consists  in  covering  the  young  vines  with  millinet  stretched 
over  small  wooden  frames.  Mr.  Levi  Bartlett,  of  Warner, 
N.  H.,  has  described  a  method  for  making  these  frames 
expeditiously  and  economically,  and  his  directions  may  be 


126  COLEOPTERA. 

found  in  the  second  volume  of  the  "  New  England  Farmer,"* 
and  in  Fessenden's  "  New  American  Gardener,"  f  under  the 
article  Cucumber. 

The  cucumber  flea-beetle  above  mentioned,  a  little,  black, 
jumping  insect,  well  known  for  the  injury  done  by  it,  in  the 
spring,  to  young  cucumber  plants,  belongs  to  another  family 
of  the  Chrysomelian  tribe,  called  HALTTCADJE.  The  following 
are  the  chief  peculiarities  of  the  beetles  of  this  family.  The 
body  is  oval  and  very  convex  above ;  the  thorax  is  short, 
nearly  or  quite  as  wide  as  the  wing-covers  behind,  and  nar- 
rowed before ;  the  head  is  pretty  broad ;  the  antennaB  are 
slender,  about  half  the  length  of  the  body,  and  are  implanted 
nearly  on  the  middle  of  the  forehead ;  the  hindmost  thighs 
are  very  thick,  being  formed  for  leaping ;  hence  these  insects 
have  been  called  flea-beetles,  and  the  scientific  name  Haltica, 
derived  from  a  word  signifying  to  leap,  has  been  applied  to 
them.  The  surface  of  the  body  is  smooth,  generally  polished, 
and  often  prettily  or  brilliantly  colored.  The  claws  are 
very  thick  at  one  end,  are  deeply  notched  towards  the  other, 
and  terminate  with  a  long  curved  and  sharp  point,  which 
enables  the  insect  to  lay  hold  firmly  upon  the  leaves  of 
the  plants  on  which  they  live.  These  beetles  eat  the  leaves 
of  vegetables,  preferring  especially  plants  of  the  cabbage, 
turnip,  mustard,  cress,  radish,  and  horse-radish  kind,  or 
those  which,  in  botanical  language,  are  called  cruciferous 
plants,  to  which  they  are  often  exceedingly  injurious.  The 
turnip-fly,  or  more  properly  turnip  flea-beetle,  is  one  of 
these  Halticas,  which  lays  waste  the  turnip-fields  in  Europe, 
devouring  the  seed-leaves  of  the  plants  as  soon  as  they 
appear  above  the  ground,  and  continuing  their  ravages  upon 
new  crops  throughout  the  summer.  Another  small  flea- 
beetle  is  often  very  injurious  to  the  grape-vines  in  Europe, 
and  a  larger  species  attacks  the  same  plant  in  this  country. 
The  flea-beetles  conceal  themselves  during  the  winter,  in  dry 
places,  under  stones,  in  tufts  of  withered  grass  and  moss, 

*  Page  306.  t  Sixth  edition,  p.  91. 


THE    FLEA-BEETLES.  127 

and  in  chinks  of  walls.  They  lay  their  eggs  in  the  spring, 
upon  the  leaves  of  the  plants  upon  which  they  feed.  The 
larvae,  or  young,  of  the  smaller  kinds  burrow  into  the  leaves, 
and  eat  the  soft  pulpy  substance  under  the  skin,  forming 
therein  little  winding  passages,  in  which  they  finally  com- 
plete their  transformations.  Hence  the  plants  suffer  as  much 
from  the  depredations  of  the  larvae,  as  from  those  of  the 
beetles,  a  fact  that  has  too  often  been  overlooked.  The 
larvae  of  the  larger  kinds  are  said  to  live  exposed  upon  the 
surface  of  the  leaves  which  they  devour,  till  they  have  come 
to  their  growth,  and  to  go  into  the  ground,  where  they 
are  changed  to  pupae,  and  soon  afterwards  to  beetles.  The 
mining  larvae,  the  only  kinds  which  are  known  to  me  from 
personal  examination,  are  little  slender  grubs,  tapering  to- 
wards each  end,  and  provided  with  six  legs.  They  arrive 
at  maturity,  turn  to  pupas,  and  then  to  beetles  in  a  few 
weeks.  Hence  there  is  a  constant  succession  of  these  in- 
sects, in  their  various  states,  throughout  the  summer.  The 
history  of  the  greater  part  of  our  Halticas  or  flea-beetles  is 
still  unknown ;  I  shall,  therefore,  only  add,  to  the  foregoing 
general  remarks,  descriptions  of  two  or  three  common  spe- 
cies, and  suggest  such  remedies  as  seem  to  be  useful  in 
protecting  plants  from  their  ravages. 

The  most  destructive  species  in  this  vicinity  is  that  which 
attacks  the  cucumber   plant  as  soon  as  the  latter  appears 
above  the  ground,  eating  the  seed-leaves,  and  thereby  de- 
stroying the   plant   immediately.     Supposing  this  to  be  an 
undescribed  insect,   I  formerly  named  it  Haltica 
Cucumeris,   the  cucumber   flea-beetle   (Fig.   56) ; 
but  Mr.  Say  subsequently  informed  me  that  it  was 
the  pubescens  of  Illiger,  so  named  because  it  is  very 
slightly  pubescent  or  downy.     Count  Dejean,  who 
gave  to  it  the  specific  name  of  fuscula,  considered 
it  as   distinct   from   the  pubescens;  and  it  differs  from  the 
descriptions  of  the  latter  in  the  color  of  its  thighs,  and  in 
never  having  the  tips  and  shoulders  of  the  wing-covers  yel- 


128  COLEOPTERA. 

lowish ;  so  that  it  may  still  bear  the  name  given  to  it  in  my 
Catalogue.  It  is  only  one  sixteenth  of  an  inch  long,  of  a 
black  color,  with  clay-yellow  antennae  and  legs,  except  the 
hindmost  thighs,  which  are  brown.  The  upper  side  of  the 
body  is  covered  with  punctures,  which  are  arranged  in  rows 
on  the  wing-cases ;  and  there  is  a  deep  transverse  furrow 
across  the  hinder-  part  of  the  thorax.  During  the  summer, 
these  pernicious  flea-beetles  may  be  found,  not  only  on  cu- 
cumber-vines, but  on  various  other  plants  having  fleshy  and 
succulent  leaves,  such  as  beans,  beets,  the  tomato,  and  the 
potato.  They  injure  all  these  plants,  more  or  less,  according 
to  their  numbers,  by  nibbling  little  holes  in  the  leaves  with 
their  teeth ;  the  functions  of  the  leaves  being  thereby  im- 
paired in  proportion  to  the  extent  of  surface  and  amount  of 
substance  destroyed.  The  edges  of  the  bitten  parts  become 
brown  and  dry  by  exposure  to  the  air,  and  assume  a  rusty 
appearance.  Since  the  prevalence  of  the  disease  commonly 
called  the  potato-rot,  attention  has  been  particularly  directed 
to  various  insects  that  live  upon  the  potato-plant ;  and,  as 
these  flea-beetles  have  been  found  upon  it  in  great  numbers, 
in  some  parts  of  the  country,  they  have  been  charged  with 
being  the  cause  of  the  disease.  The  same  charge  has  also 
been  made  against  several  other  kinds  of  insects,  some  of 
which  will  be  described  in  the  course  of  this  work.  In  my 
own  opinion,  the  origin,  extension,  and  continued  reappear- 
ance of  tliis  wide-spread  pestilence  are  not  due  to  the  depre- 
dations of  insects  of  any  kind.  Mr.  Phanuel  Flanders,  of 
Lowell,  where  the  flea-beetles  have  appeared  in  unusual 
numbers,  showed  to  me,  in  August,  1851,  some  potato-leaves 
that  were  completely  riddled  with  holes  by  them,  so  that 
but  little  more  than  the  ribs  and  veins  remained  un- 
touched. He  thinks  that  their  ravages  may  be  prevented 
by  watering  the  leaves  with  a  solution  of  lime,  a  remedy 
long  ago  employed  in  England,  with  signal  benefit,  in  pre- 
serving the  turnip  crop  from  the  attacks  of  the  turnip  flea- 
beetle. 


THE    GRAPE-VINE    FLEA-BEETLE.  129 

The  wavy-striped  flea-beetle,  Haltlca  striolata*  (Fig.  57), 
may  be  seen  in  great  abundance  on  the  horse-rad-  Fig  57i 
ish,  various  kinds  of  cresses,  and  on  the  mustard 
and  turnip,  early  in  May,  and  indeed  at  other 
times  throughout  the  summer.  It  is  very  injurious 
to  young  plants,  destroying  their  seed-leaves  as 
soon  as  the  latter  expand.  Should  it  multiply  to 
any  extent,  it  may  in  time  become  as  great  a  pest  as  the 
European  turnip  flea-beetle,  which  it  closely  resembles  in  its 
appearance,  and  in  all  its  habits.  Though  rather  larger  than 
the  cucumber  flea-beetle,  and  of  a  longer  oval  shape,  it  is 
considerably  less  than  one  tenth  of  an  inch  in  length.  It  is 
of  a  polished  black  color,  with  a  broad  wavy  buff-colored 
stripe  on  each  wing-cover,  and  the  knees  and  feet  are  reddish 
yellow.  Specimens  are  sometimes  found  having  two  buff- 
yellow  spots  on  each  wing-cover  instead  of  the  wavy  stripe. 
These  were  not  known  by  Fabricius  to  be  merely  varieties 
of  the  striolata,  and  accordingly  he  described  them  as  distinct, 
under  the  name  of  bipustulata^  the  two-spotted. 

The  steel-blue  flea-beetle,  Haltica  chalybea  of  Illiger,  (Fig. 
58,  and  Plate  II.  Fig.  5,)  or  the  grape-vine 
flea-beetle,  as  it  might  be  called  on  account  of 
its  habits,  is  found  in  almost  all  parts  of  the  ^^ 
United  States,  on  wild  and  cultivated  grape-  dBiih  ' 
vines,  the  buds  and  leaves  of  which  it  destroys. 
Though  it  has  received  the  specific  name  of 
chalybea,  meaning  steel-blue,  it  is  exceedingly 
variable  in  its  color,  specimens* being  often  seen  on  the  same 
vine  of  a  dark  purple,  violet,  Prussian  blue,  greenish  blue, 
and  deep  green  color.  The  most  common  tint  of  the  upper 
side  is  a  glossy,  deep,  greenish  blue ;  the  under  side  is  dark 
green ;  and  the  antennae  and  feet  are  dull  black.  The  body 
is  oblong-oval,  and  the  hinder  part  of  the  thorax  is  marked 
with  a  transverse  furrow.  It  measures  rather  more  than 
three  twentieths  of  an  inch  in  length.  In  this  part  of  the 

*  Crioceris  slriolata,  Fabricius.  t  Crwceris  bipustulata,  Fabricius. 

17 


130  COLEOPTERA. 

country  these  beetles  begin  to  come  out  of  their  winter 
quarters  towards  the  end  of  April,  and  continue  to  appear  till 
the  latter  part  of  May.  Soon  after  their  first  appearance 
they  pair,  and  probably  lay  their  eggs  on  the  leaves  of  the 
vine,  and  perhaps  on  other  plants  also.  A  second  brood  of 
the  beetles  is  found  on  the  grape-vines  towards  the  end  of 
July.  I  have  not  had  an  opportunity  to  trace  the  history 
of  these  insects  any  further,  and  consequently  their  larvae  are 
unknown  to  me.  Mr.  David  Thomas  has  given  an  interest- 
ing account  of  their  habits  and  ravages  in  the  twenty-sixth 
volume  of  Silliman's  "  American  Journal  of  Science  and 
Arts."  These  brilliant  insects  were  observed  by  him,  in  the 
spring  of  1831,  in  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  creeping  on  the 
vines,  and  destroying  the  buds,  by  eating  out  the  central 
succulent  parts.  Some  had  burrowed  even  half  their  length 
into  the  buds.  When  disturbed,  they  jump  rather  than  fly, 
and  remain  where  they  fall  for  a  time  without  motion. 
During  the  same  season  these  beetles  appeared  in  unusu- 
ally great  numbers  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  its  vicinity, 
and  the  injury  done  by  them  was  "  wholly  unexampled." 
"  Some  vines  were  entirely  despoiled  of  their  fruit  buds,  so 
as  to  be  rendered,  for  that  season,  barren."  Mr.  Thomas 
found  the  vine-leaves  were  infested,  in  the  years  1830  and 
1831,  by  "  small  chestnut-colored  smooth  worms,"  and  sus- 
pecting these  to  be  the  larvae  of  the  beetle  (which  he  called 
Chrysomela  vitivora),  he  fed  them  in  a  tumbler,  containing 
some  moist  earth,  until  they  were  fully  grown,  when  they 
buried  themselves  in  the  earth.  "  After  a  fortnight  or  so," 
some  of  the  beetles  were  found  in  the  tumbler.  Hence  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  former  were  the  larvae  of  the  beetles, 
and  that  they  undergo  their  transformations  in  the  ground. 
A  good  description  of  the  larvae,  and  a  more  full  account  of 
their  habits,  seasons,  and  changes,  are  still  wanted. 

In  England,  where  the  ravages  of  the  turnip  flea-beetle 
have  attracted  great  attention,  and  have  caused  many  and 
various  experiments  to  be  tried  with  a  view  of  checking 


THE    CHRYSOMELIANS.  131 

them,  it  is  thought  that  "  the  careful  and  systematic  use 
of  lime  will  obviate,  in  a  great  degree,  the  danger  which 
has  been  experienced "  from  this  insect.  From  this  and 
other  statements  in  favor  of  the  use  of  lime,  there  is  good 
reason  to  hope  that  it  will  effectually  protect  plants  from 
the  various  kinds  of  flea-beetles,  if  dusted  over  them,  when 
wet  with  dew,  in  proper  season.  Watering  plants  with  alka- 
line solutions,  it  is  said,  will  kill  the  insects  without  injuring 
the  plants.  The  solution  may  be  made  by  dissolving  one 
pound  of  hard  soap  in  twelve  gallons  of  the  soap-suds  left 
after  washing.  This  mixture  should  be  applied  twice  a  day 
with  a  water-pot.  Kollar  very  highly  recommends  watering 
or  wetting  the  leaves  of  plants  with  an  infusion  or  tea  of 
wormwood,  wliich  prevents  the  flea-beetles  from  touching 
them.  Perhaps  a  decoction  of  walnut-leaves  might  be  equal- 
ly serviceable.  Great  numbers  of  the  beetles  may  be  caught 
by  the  skilful  use  of  a  deep  bag-net  of  muslin,  which  should 
be  swept  over  the  plants  infested  by  the  beetles,  after  which 
the  latter  may  be  easily  destroyed.  This  net  cannot  be  used 
with  safety  to  catch  the  insects  on  very  young  plants,  on 
account  of  the  risk  of  bruising  or  breaking  their  tender 
leaves. 

The  Clirysomelians,  CHRYSOMELAD.E,  properly  so  called, 
form  the  third  family  of  the  tribe  to  which  I  have  given  the 
same  name,  because  these  insects  hold  the  chief  place  in  it, 
in  respect  to  size,  beauty,  variety,  and  numbers.  These  leaf- 
beetles  are  mostly  broad  oval,  sometimes  nearly  hemispherical, 
in  their  form,  or  very  convex  above  and  flat  beneath.  The 
head  is  rather  wide,  and  not  concealed  under  the  thorax. 
The  latter  is  short,  and  broad  behind.  The  antenna}  are 
about  half  the  length  of  the  body,  and  slightly  thickened 
towards  the  end,  and  arise  from  the  sides  of  the  head,  be- 
tween the  eyes  and  the  corners  of  the  mouth ;  being  much 
further  apart  than  those  of  the  Galerucians  and  flea-beetles. 
The  legs  are  rather  short,  nearly  equal  in  length,  and  the 
hindmost  thighs  are  not  thicker  than  the  others,  and  are  not 
17* 


132  COLEOPTERA. 

fitted  for  leaping.  The  colors  of  these  beetles  are  often  rich 
and  brilliant,  among  which  blue  and  green,  highly  polished, 
and  with  a  golden  or  metallic  lustre,  are  the  most  common 
tints.  The  Iarva3  are  soft-bodied,  short,  thick,  and  slug- 
shaped  grubs,  with  six  legs  before,  and  a  prop-leg  behind. 
They  live  exposed  on  the  leaves  of  plants,  which  they  eat, 
and  to  which  most  of  them  fasten  themselves  by  the  tail, 
when  about  to  be  transformed.  Some,  .however,  go  into 
the  ground  when  about  to  change  to  pupa?.  Many  of  these 
insects,  both  in  the  larva  and  beetle  state,  have  been  found 
to  be  very  injurious  to  vegetation  in  other  countries ;  but  I 
am  not  aware  that  any  of  them  have  proved  seriously  injuri- 
ous to  cultivated  or  other  valuable  plants  in  this  country. 
There  are  some,  it  is  true,  which  may  hereafter  increase  so 
as  to  give  us  much  trouble,  unless  effectual  means  are  taken 
to  protect  and  cherish  their  natural  enemies,  the  birds. 

The  largest  species  in  New  England  inhabits  the  common 
milk- weed,  or  silk- weed  (Asclepias  Syriacd),  upon  which  it 
may  be  found,  in  some  or  all  of  its  states,  from  the  middle 
of  June  till  September.  Its  head,  thorax,  body  beneath,  an- 
tennaB,  and  legs  are  deep  blue,  and  its  wing-covers  orange, 
with  three  large  black  spots  upon  them,  namely,  one  on  the 
shoulder,  and  another  on  the  tip  of  each,  and  the  third  across 
the  base  of  both  wing-covers.  Hence  it  was  named  Chry- 
somela  trimaculata  by  Fabricius,  or  the  three-spotted  Chry- 
somela  (Plate  II.  Fig.  9).  It  is  nearly  three  eighths  of  an 
inch  long,  and  almost  hemispherical.  Its  larvae  and  pupas 
are  orange-colored,  spotted  with  black,  and  pass  through 
their  transformations  on  the  leaves  of  the  Asclepias. 

The  most  elegant  of  our  Chrysomelians  is  the  Ohrysomela 
Fig.  59.       sccdaris  of  Leconte,  literally  the  ladder  Chryso- 
mela  (Fig.  59).     It  is  about  three  tenths  of  an 
inch  long,  and  of  a  narrower  and  more  regularly 
oval  shape  than  the  preceding.     The  head,  tho- 
rax, and  under  side  of  its  body  are  dark  green, 
the  wing-covers  silvery  white,  ornamented  with  small  green 


THE    BLUE-WINGED    CHRYSOMELA.  133 

spots  on  the  sides,  and  a  broad  jagged  stripe  along'the  suture 
or  inner  edges  ;  the  antenna?  and  legs  are  rust-red,  and  the 
wings  are  rose-colored.  It  is  a  most  beautiful  object  when 
flying,  with  its  silvery  wing-covers,  embossed  with  green, 
raised  up,  and  its  rose-red  wings  spread  out  beneath  them. 
These  beetles  inhabit  the  lime  or  linden  (Tilia  Americana), 
and  the  elm,  upon  which  they  may  be  found  in  April,  May, 
and  June,  and  a  second  brood  of  them  in  September  and 
October.  They  pass  the  winter  in  holes,  and  under  leaves 
and  moss.  The  trees  on  which  they  live  are  sometimes  a 
good  deal  injured  by  them  and  by  their  larvae  (Fig. 
60).  The  latter  are  hatched  from  eggs  laid  by  the 
beetles  on  the  leaves  in  the  spring,  and  come  to 
their  growth  towards  the  end  of  June.  They  are 
then  about  six  tenths  of  an  inch  long,  of  a  white 
color,  with  a  black  line  along  the  top  of  the  back,  and  a  row 
of  small  square  black  spots  on  each  side  of  the  body ;  the 
head  is  horny  and  of  an  ochre-yellow  color.  Like  the  grubs 
of  the  preceding  species,  these  are  short,  and  very  thick,  the 
back  arching  upwards  very  much  in  the  middle.  I  believe 
that  they  go  into  the  ground  to  turn  to  pupaB.  Should  they 
become  so  numerous  as  seriously  to  injure  the  lime  and  elm 
trees,  it  may  be  found  useful  to  throw  decoctions  of  tobacco 
or  of  walnut-leaves  on  the  trees  by  means  of  a  garden  or 
fire  engine,  a  method  which  has  been  employed  with  good 
effect  for  the  destruction  of  the  larvse  of  G-aleruca  Cal- 
mariensis. 

The  most  common  leaf-beetle  of  the  family  under  consid- 
eration   is    the    blue-winged    Chrysomela,    or 
Clirysomela   cceruleipennis   of  Say  (Fig.   61), 
an  insect  hardly  distinct  from  the  European 
Chrysomela  Polygoni,   and   like   the   latter  it  ^^ 

lives  in  great  numbers  on  the  common  knot-        /Krafffl  J- 
grass  (Polygonnm  aviculare),  which  it  com- 
pletely strips  of  its  leaves  two  or  three  times 
in   the   course    of  the   summer.       This    little 


134  COLEOPTEKA. 

beetle  is  about  three  twentieths  of  an  inch  long.  Its  head, 
wing-covers,  and  body  beneath  are  dark  blue  ;  its  thorax  and 
legs  are  dull  orange-red  ;  the  upper  side  of  its  abdomen  is 
also  orange-colored ;  and  the  antennae  and  feet  are  blackish. 
The  females  have  a  very  odd  appearance  before  they  have 
laid  their  eggs,  their  abdomen  being  enormously  swelled  out 
like  a  large  orange-colored  ball,  which  makes  it  very  difficult 
for  them  to  move  about.  I  have  found  these  insects  on  the 
knot-grass  in  every  month  from  April  to  September  inclusive. 
The  larvae  eat  the  leaves  of  the  same  plant. 

Having  described  the  largest,  the  most  elegant,  and  the 
most  common  of  our  Chrysomelians,  I  must  omit  all  the  rest, 
except  the  most  splendid,  which  was  called  Eumolpus  auratus 
by  Fabricius,  that  is,  the  gilded  Eumolpus  (Plate  II.  Fig.  1). 
It  is  of  a  brilliant  golden  green  color  above,  and  of  a  deep 
purplish  green  below ;  the  legs  are  also  purple-green  ;  but 
the  feet  and  the  antennas  are  blackish.  The  thorax  is 
narrower  behind  than  the  wing-covers,  and  the  rest  of  the 
body  is  more  oblong  oval  than  in  the  foregoing  Chrysome- 
lians. It  is  about  three  eighths  of  an  inch  long.  This  splen- 
did beetle  may  be  found  in  considerable  numbers  on  the 
leaves  of  the  dog's-bane  (Apocynum  Androscemifolium),  which 
it  devours,  during  the  months  of  July  and  August.  The 
larvae  are  unknown  to  me. 

The  fourth  family  of  the  leaf-eating  Chrysomelians  consists 
of  the  Cryptocephalians  (CRYPTOCEPHALID.E),  so  named  from 
the  principal  genus  Cryptocephalus,  a  word  signifying  con- 
cealed head.  These  insects  somewhat  resemble  the  beetles  of 
the  preceding  family ;  but  they  are  of  a  more  cylindrical  form, 
and  the  head  is  bent  down,  and  nearly  concealed  in  the  fore 
part  of  the  thorax.  Their  larvae  are  short,  cylindrical,  whit- 
ish grubs,  which  eat  the  leaves  of  plants.  Each  one  makes 
for  itself  a  little  cylindrical  or  egg-shaped  case,  of  a  substance 
sometimes  resembling  clay,  and  sometimes  like  horn,  with 
an  opening  at  one  end,  within  which  the  grub  lives,  putting 
out  its  head  and  fore  legs  when  it  wishes  to  eat  or  to  move. 


THE    CANTHARIDES.  135 

When  it  is  folly  grown,  it  stops  up  the  open  end  of  its  case, 
and  changes  to  a  pupa,  and  afterwards  to  a  beetle  within  it, 
and  then  gnaws  a  hole  through  the  case,  in  order  to  escape. 
As  none  of  these  insects  have  been  observed  to  do  much 
injury  to  plants  in  this  country,  I  shall  state  nothing  more 
respecting  them,  than  that  Clythra  dominicana1^  inhabits  the 
sumach,  0.  quadriguttata^  oak-trees,  Chlamys  gibbosa  low 
whortleberry  bushes,  Cryptocephcdus  luridus  the  wild  indigo- 
bush,  and  most  of  the  other  species  may  be  found  on  different 
kinds  of  oaks. 


Although  the  blistering  beetles,  or  Cantharides  (CANTHA- 
RIDID^E),  have  been  enumerated  among  the  insects  directly 
beneficial  to  man,  on  account  of  the  important  use  made  of 
them  in  medical  practice,  yet  it  must  be  admitted  that  they 
are  often  very  injurious  to  vegetation.  The  green  Canthar- 
ides, or  Spanish  flies,  as  they  are  commonly  called,  are  found 
in  the  South  of  Europe,  and  particularly  in  Spain  and  Italy, 
where  they  are  collected  in  great  quantities  for  exportation. 
In  these  countries  they  sometimes  appear  in  immense  swarms, 
on  the  privet,  lilac,  and  ash ;  so  that  the  limbs  of  these  plants 
bend  under  their  weight,  and  are  entirely  stripped  of  their 
foliage  by  these  leaf-eating  beetles.  In  like  manner  our 
native  Cantharides  devour  the  leaves  of  plants,  and  some- 
times prove  very  destructive  to  them. 

The  Cantharides  are  distinguished  from  all  the  preceding 
insects  by  their  feet,  the  hindmost  pair  of  which  have  only 
four  joints,  while  the  first  and  middle  pairs  are  five-jointed. 
In  this  respect  they  agree  with  many  other  beetles,  such  as 
clocks  or  darkling  beetles,  meal-beetles,  some  of  the  mush- 
room-beetles, flat  bark-beetles,  and  the  like,  with  which  they 
form  a  large  and  distinct  section  of  Coleopterous  insects. 

f 14  Clythra  ( Coscinoptera)  domimcana.  —  LEC.] 
[ls  Clylhra  (Babia)  quadriguttata.  —  LEC.] 


136  COLEOPTEBA. 

The  following  are  the  most  striking  peculiarities  of  the  fam- 
ily to  which  the  blistering  beetles  belong.  The  head  is  broad 
and  nearly  heart-sliaped,  and  it  is  joined  to  the  thorax  by  a 
narrow  neck.  The  antennae  are  rather  long  and  tapering, 
sometimes  knotted  in  the  middle,  particularly  in  the  males. 
The  thorax  varies  in  form,  but  is  generally  much  narrower 
than  the  whig-covers.  The  latter  are  soft  and  flexible,  more 
or  less  bent  down  at  the  sides  of  the  body,  usually  long  and 
narrow,  sometimes  short  and  overlapping  on  their  inner 
edges.  The  legs  are  long  and  slender  ;  the  soles  of  the  feet 
are  not  broad,  and  are  not  cusliioned  beneath  ;  and  the  claws 
are  split  to  the  bottom,  or  double,  so  that  there  appear  to  be 
four  claws  to  each  foot.  The  body  is  quite  soft,  and  when 
handled,  a  yellowish  fluid,  of  a  disagreeable  smell,  comes  out 
of  the  joints.  These  beetles  are  timid  insects,  and  when 
alarmed  they  draw  up  then*  legs  and  feign  themselves  dead. 
Nearly  all  of  them  have  the  power  of  raising  blisters  when 
applied  to  the  skin,  and  they  retain  it  even  when  dead  and 
perfectly  dry.  It  is  chiefly  this  property  that  renders  them 
valuable  to  physicians.  Four  of  our  native  Cantharides  have 
been  thus  successfully  employed,  and  are  found  to  be  as  pow- 
erful in  their  effects  as  the  imported  species.  For  further 
particulars  relative  to  then*  use,  the  reader  is  referred  to  my 
account  of  them  published  in  1824,  in  the  first  volume  of 
"  The  Boston  Journal  of  Philosophy  and  the  Arts,"  and  in 
the  thirteenth  volume  of  "  The  New  England  Medical  and 
Surgical  Journal." 

Occasionally  potato-vines  are  very  much  infested  by  two 
or  three  kinds  of  Cantharides,  swarms  of  which  attack  and 
destroy  the  leaves  during  midsummer.  One  of  these  kinds 
has  thereby  obtained  the  name  of  the  potato-fly.  It  is  the 
Caniharis  wttata,*  or  striped  Cantharis.  It  is  of  a  dull 
tawny  yellow  or  light  yellowish-red  color  above,  witli  two 

*  Lytla  vittata,  Fabricius.W 

[  **  The  name  Lylta  is  now  adopted  by  most  entomologists  in  preference  to  that 
of  Canlharis  for  these  insects.  —  LEC.] 


THE    MARGINED    CANTHARIS.  137 

black  spots  on  the  head,  and  two  black  stripes  on  the  thorax 
and  on  each  of  the  wing-covers.  The  under  side  of  the  body, 
the  legs,  and  the  antennae  are  black,  and  covered  with  a 
grayish  down.  Its  length  is  from  five  to  six  tenths  of  an 
inch.  In  this  and  the  three  following  species  the  thorax  is 
very  much  narrowed  before,  and  the  wing-covers  are  long 
and  narrow,  and  cover  the  whole  of  the  back.  The  striped 
Cantharis  is  comparatively  rare  in  New  England  ;  but  in  the 
Middle  and  Western  States  it  often  appears  in  great  numbers, 
and  does  much  mischief  in  potato-fields  and  gardens,  eating 
up,  not  only  the  leaves  of  the  potato,  but  those  of  many  other 
vegetables.  It  is  one  of  the  insects  to  which  the  production 
of  the  potato-rot  has  been  ascribed.  The  habits  of  this  kind 
of  Cantharis  are  similar  to  those  of  the  following  species. 

There  is  a  large  blistering  beetle  which  is  very  common  on 
the  virgin's  bower  (Clematis  Virginiana),  a  trailing  plant, 
which  grows  wild  in  the  fields,  and  is  cultivated  for  covering 
arbors.  I  have  sometimes  seen  this  plant  completely  stripped 
of  its  leaves  by  these  insects,  during  the  month  of  August. 
They  are  very  shy,  and  when  disturbed  fall  immediately 
from  the  leaves,  and  attempt  to  conceal  themselves  among 
the  grass.  They  most  commonly  resort  to  the  low  branches 
of  the  Clematis,  or  those  that  trail  upon  the  ground,  and 
more  rarely  attack  the  upper  parts  of  the  vine.  They  also 
eat  the  leaves  of  various  kinds  of  Ranunculus  or  buttercups, 
and,  in  the  Middle  and  Southern  States,  those  of  Clematis 
viorna  and  crispa.  This  beetle  is  the  Cantharis 
marginata  of  Olivier,  or  margined  Cantharis 
(Fig.  62).  It  measures  six  or  seven  tenths  of 
an  inch  in  length.  Its  head  and  thorax  are 
thickly  covered  with  short  gray  down,  and  have 
a  black  spot  on  the  upper  side  of  each;  the 
wing-covers  are  black,  with  a  very  narrow  gray 
edging  ;  and  the  under  side  of  the  body  and  the 
legs  are  also  gray. 

The  most  destructive  kind  of  Cantharis  found  in  Massa- 
18 


138  COLEOPTERA. 

chusetts  is  of  a  more  slender  form  than  the  preceding,  and 
measures  only  from  five  and  a  half  to  six  tenths  of  an  inch 
in  length.  Its  antenna?  and  feet  are  black,  and  all  the  rest 
of  its  body  is  ashen  gray,  being  thickly  covered  with  a  veiy 
short  down  of  that  color.  Hence  it  is  called  Cantharis  cine- 
n  ^  rai,*17  or  the  ash-colored  Cantharis  (Fig.  63). 
When  the  insect  is  rubbed,  the  ash-colored 
substance  comes  off,  leaving  the  surface 
black.  It  begins  to  appear  in  gardens  about 
the  20th  of  June,  and  is  very  fond  of  the 
leaves  of  the  English  bean,  which  it  sometimes 
entirely  destroys.  It  is  also  occasionally  found 
in  considerable  numbers  on  potato-vines  ;  and  in  Cambridge, 
Massachusetts,  it  has  repeatedly  appeared  in  great  profusion 
upon  hedges  of  the  honey-locust,  which  have  been  entirely 
stripped  of  foliage  by  these  voracious  insects.  They  are  also 
found  on  the  wild  indigo-weed.  In  the  night,  and  in  rainy 
weather,  they  descend  from  the  plants,  and  burrow  in  the 
ground,  or  under  leaves  and  tufts  of  grass.  Thither  also 
they  retire  for  shelter  during  the  heat  of  the  day,  being  most 
actively  engaged  in  eating  in  the  morning  and  evening. 
About  the  1st  of  August  they  go  into  the  ground  and  lay 
their  eggs,  and  these  are  hatched  in  the  course  of  one  month. 
The  larvaa  are  slender,  somewhat  flattened  grubs,  of  a  yel- 
lowish color,  banded  with  black,  with  a  small  reddish  head, 
and  six  legs.  These  grubs  are  very  active  in  their  motions, 
and  appear  to  live  upon  fine  roots  in  the  ground  ;  but  I  have 
not  been  able  to  keep  them  till  they  arrived  at  maturity,  and 
therefore  know  nothing  further  of  their  history. 

About  the  middle  of  August,  and  during  the  rest  of  this 
and  the  following  month,  a  jet-black  Cantharis  may  be  seen 
on  potato-vines,  and  also  on  the  blossoms  and  leaves  of  vari- 

*  Lytin  cinerea,  Fabricius. 

["  As  this  specific  name  was  previously  applied  by  Forster  to  the  species  men- 
tioned on  the  previous  page  as  Cantharis  or  Lytla  marffinata,  and  has  priority  over 
that  name,  I  have  changed  the  name  of  the  present  species  to  Lytta  Fabricii.  — 
LEC.] 


THE    BLACK    CANTHARIS.  139 

ous  kinds  of  golden-rod,  particularly  the  tall  golden-rod 
{Solidago  altissima),  which  seems  to  be  its  favorite  food. 
In  some  places  it  is  as  plentiful  in  potato-fields  as  the  striped 
and  the  margined  Cantharis,  and  by  its  serious  ravages  has 
often  excited  attention.  These  three  kinds,  in  fact,  are  often 
confounded  under  the  common  name  of  potato-flies ;  and  it 
is  still  more  remarkable,  that  they  are  collected  for  medical 
use,  and  are  sold  in  our  shops  by  the  name  of  Cantharis 
vittata,  without  a  suspicion  of  their  being  distinct  from  each 
other.  The  black  Cantharis,  or  Cantharis  atra- 
ta*  (Fig.  64),  is  totally  black,  without  bands  or 
spots,  and  measures  from  four  tenths  to  half  of  an 
inch  in  length.  I  have  repeatedly  taken  these 
insects,  in  considerable  quantities,  by  brushing  or 
shaking  them  from  the  potato-vines  into  a  broad 
tin  pan,  from  which  they  were  emptied  into  a 
covered  pail  containing  a  little  water,  which,  by 
wetting  their  wings,  prevented  their  flying  out  when  the 
pail  was  uncovered.  The  same  method  may  be  employed 
for  taking  the  other  kinds  of  Cantharides,  when  they  become 
troublesome  and  destructive  from  their  numbers ;  or  they 
may  be  caught  by  gently  sweeping  the  plants  they  frequent 
with  a  deep  muslin  bag-net.  They  should  be  killed  by 
throwing  them  into  scalding  water,  for  one  or  two  minutes, 
after  which  they  may  be  spread  out  on  sheets  of  paper  to 
dry,  and  may  be  made  profitable  by  selling  them  to  the 
apothecaries  for  medical  use. 

There  are  some  blistering  beetles,  belonging  to  another 
genus,  which  seem  deserving  of  a  passing  notice,  not  on 
account  of  any  great  injury  committed  by  them,  but  be- 
cause they  can  be  used  in  medicine  like  the  foregoing, 
and  are  considered  by  some  naturalists  as  forming  one  of 
the  links  connecting  the  orders  Coleoptera  and  Orthoptera. 
These  insects  belong  to  the  genus  Meloe,  so  named,  it  is 
supposed,  because  they  are  of  a  black,  or  deep  blue-black 

*  Lytta  atrata,  Fabricius. 


140  COLEOPTERA. 

color.  They  are  called  oil-beetles  in  England,  on  account 
of  the  yellowish  liquid  which  oozes  from  their  joints  in  large 
drops  when  they  are  handled.  Their  head  is  large,  heart- 
sliaped,  and  bent  down,  as  in  the  other  blistering  beetles. 
Their  thorax  is  narrowed  behind,  and  very  small  in  pro- 
portion to  the  rest  of  the  body.  The  latter  is  egg-shaped, 
pointed  behind,  and  so  enormously  large  that  it  drags  on 
the  ground  when  the  beetle  attempts  to  walk.  The  wings 
are  wanting,  and  of  course  these  insects  are  unable  to  fly, 
although  they  have  a  pair  of  very  short  oval  wing-covers, 
which  overlap  on  their  inner  edges,  and  do  not  cover  more 
than  one  third  of  the  abdomen.  These  beetles  eat  the  leaves 
of  various  kinds  of  buttercups. 

Our  common  species  is  the  Meloe  angusticollis  of  Say,  or 
narrow-necked  oil-beetle.  (Fig.  65  repre- 
sents the  female,  and  the  antenna  of  the 
male  at  her  left.)  It  is  of  a  dark  indigo- 
blue  color ;  the  thorax  is  very  narrow,  and 
the  antennae  of  the  male  are  curiously 
twisted  and  knotted  in  the  middle.  It 
measures  from  eight  tenths  of  an  inch  to 
one  inch  in  length.  It  is  very  common 
on  buttercups  in  the  autumn,  and  I  have 
also  found  it  eating  the  leaves  of  potato- 
vines. 

The  foregoing  insects  are  but  a  small  number  of  those, 
belonging  to  the  order  Coleoptera,  which  are  injurious  to 
vegetation.  Those  only  have  been  selected  that  are  the 
most  remarkable  for  their  ravages,  or  would  best  serve  to 
illustrate  the  families  and  genera  to  which  they  belong.  The 
orders  Orthoptera,  Hemiptera,  Lepidoptera,  Hymenoptera, 
and  Diptera  remain  to  be  treated  in  the  same  way,  in 
carrying  out  the  plan  upon  which  this  treatise  has  been 
begun,  and  to  which  it  is  limited. 


Dcmgal 


CHAPTER  III. 

ORTHOPTEKA. 

EARWIGS.  —  COCKROACHES.  —  MANTES,  OR  SOOTHSAYERS.  —  WALKING-LEAVES. 
—  WALKING -STICKS,  OR  SPECTRES.  —  MOLE-CRICKET.  —  FIELD  CRICKETS. — 
CLIMBING  CRICKET.  —  WINGLESS  CRICKET.  —  GRASSHOPPERS.  —  KATY-DID. — 
LOCUSTS. 

• 

MPHE  destructive  insects  popularly  known  in  this  country 
JL  by  the  name  of  grasshoppers,  but  which  in  our  version 
of  the  Bible,  and  in  other  works  in  the  English  language,  are 
called  locusts,  have,  from  a  period  of  very  high  antiquity, 
attracted  the  attention  of  mankind  by  their  extensive  and 
lamentable  ravages.  It  should  here  be  remarked,  that  in 
America  the  name  of  locust  is  very  improperly  given  to  the 
Cicada  of  the  ancients,  or  the  harvest-fly  of  English  writers, 
some  kinds  of  which  will  be  the  subject  of  future  remark  in 
this  treatise.  The  name  of  locust  will  here  be  restricted  to 
certain  kinds  of  grasshoppers ;  while  the  popularly  named 
locust,  which,  according  to  common  belief,  appears  only  once 
in  seventeen  years,  must  drop  this  name,  and  take  the  more 
correct  one  of  Cicada  or  harvest-fly.  The  very  frequent 
misapplication  of  names,  by  persons  unacquainted  with  nat- 
ural history,  is  one  of  the  greatest  obstacles  to  the  progress  of 
science,  and  shows  how  necessaiy  it  is  that  things  should  be 
called  by  their  right  names,  if  the  observations  communicated 
respecting  them  are  to  be  of  any  service.  Every  intelligent 
farmer  is  capable  of  becoming  a  good  observer,  and  of  making 
valuable  discoveries  in  natural  history ;  but  if  he  be  ignorant 
of  the  proper  names  of  the  objects  examined,  or  if  he  give  to 
them  names  which  previously  have  been  applied  by  other 
persons  to  entirely  different  objects,  he  will  fail  to  make  the 
18* 


142  ORTHOPTERA. 

result  of  his  observations  intelligible  and  useful  to  the  com- 
munity. 

The  insects  which  I  here  call  locusts,  together  with  other 
grasshoppers,  earwigs,  crickets,  spectres  or  walking-sticks, 
and  walking-leaves,  soothsayers,  cockroaches,  &c.,  belong  to 
an  order  called  ORTHOPTERA,  literally  straight  wings  ;  for 
their  wings,  when  not  in  use,  are  folded  lengthwise  in  narrow 
plaits  like  a  fan,  and  are  laid  straight  along  the  top  or  sides 
of  the  back.  They  are  also  covered  by  a  pair  of  thicker 
wing-like  members,  which,  in  the  locusts  and  grasshoppers, 
are  long  and  narrow,  and  lie  lengthwise  on  the  sides  of  the 
body,  sloping  outwards  on«each  side  like  the  roof  of  a  house ; 
in  the  cockroaches,  these  upper  wings  or  wing-covers  are 
broader,  almost  oval,  and  lie  horizontally  on  the  top  of  the 
back,  overlapping  on  their  inner  edges ;  and  in  the  crickets, 
the  wing-covers,  when  closed,  are  placed  like  those  of  cock- 
roaches, but  have  a  narrow  outer  border,  which  is  folded 
perpendicularly  downwards  so  as  to  cover  the,  sides  of  the 
body  also. 

All  the  Orthopterous  insects  are  provided  with  transverse- 
ly movable  jaws,  more  or  less  like  those  of  beetles,  but  they 
do  not  undergo  a  complete  transformation  in  coming  to  ma- 
turity. The  young,  in  fact,  often  present  a  close  resemblance 
to  the  adult  insects  in  form,  and  differ  from  them  chiefly  in 
wanting  wings.  They  move  about  and  feed  precisely  like 
their  parents,  but  change  then*  skins  repeatedly  before  they 
come  to  their  full  size.  The  second  stage  in  the  progress 
of  the  Orthopterous  insects  to  maturity  is  not,  like  that  of 
beetles,  a  state  of  inactivity  and  rest,  in  which  the  insect  loses 
tin-  grub-like  or  larva  form  which  it  had  when  hatched  from 
tin-  egg,  and  becomes  a  pupa  or  chrysalis,  more  nearly  resem- 
bling the  form  of  a  beetle,  but  soft,  whitish,  and  with  its  un- 
<1<  \floped  wings  and  limbs  incased  in  a  thin  transparent  skin 
which  impedes  all  motion.  On  the  contrary,  the  Orthoptera 
in  the  pupa  state  do  not  differ  from  the  young  and  from  the 
old  insects,  except  in  having  the  rudiments  of  wings  and 


DIVISIONS.  143 

wing-covers  projecting,  like  little  scales,  from  the  back  near 
the  thorax.  These  pup  as  are  active  and  voracious,  and  in- 
crease greatly  in  size,  which  is  not  the  case  with  the  insects 
that  are  subject  to  a  complete  transformation,  for  such  never 
eat  or  grow  in  the  pupa  state.  When  fully  grown,  they  cast 
off  their  skins  for  the  sixth  or  last  time,  and  then  appear  in 
the  adult  or  perfect  state,  folly  provided  with  all  then'  mem- 
bers, with  the  exception  of  a  few  kinds  which  remain  wingless 
throughout  their  whole  lives.  The  slight  changes  to  which 
the  Orthoptera  are  subject  consist  of  nothing  more  than  a 
successive  series  of  moultings,  during  which  their  wings  are 
gradually  developed.  These  changes  may  receive  the  name 
of  imperfect  or  incomplete  transformation,  in  contradistinc- 
tion to  the  far  greater  changes  exhibited  by  those  insects 
which  pass  through  a  complete  transformation  in  their  pro- 
gress to  maturity. 

Cockroaches  are  general  feeders,  and  nothing  comes  amiss 
to  them,  whether  of  vegetable  or  animal  nature ;  the  Mantes 
or  soothsayers  are  predaceous  and  carnivorous,  devouring 
weaker  insects,  and  even  those  of  their  own  kind  occasion- 
ally ;  but  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  Orthopterous  insects 
subsist  on  vegetable  food,  grass,  flowers,  fruits,  the  leaves, 
and  even  the  bark  of  trees ;  whence  it  follows,  in  connection 
with  their  considerable  size,  their  great  voracity,  and  the 
immense  troops  or  swarms  in  which  they  too  often  appear, 
that  they  are  capable  of  doing  great  injury  to  vegetation. 

The  Orthoptera  may  be  divided  into  four  large  groups :  — 

1.  RUNNERS  {Orthoptera  cursoria*),  including  earwigs  and 
cockroaches,  with  all  the  legs  fitted  for  rapid  motion  ; 

2.  GRASPERS  (  Orthoptera  raptoria),  such  as  the  Mantes,  or 
soothsayers,  with  the  shanks  of  the  fore  legs  capable  of  being 
doubled  upon  the  under  side  of  the  thigh,  which,  moreover, 
is  armed  with  teeth,  and  thus  forms  an  instrument  for  seizing 
and  holding  their  prey ; 

*  These  are  the  four  divisions  proposed  by  Mr.  Westwood  in  his  "  Introduc- 
tion," who,  however,  applies  to  them  their  Latin  names  only. 


144  OBTHOPTERA. 

3.  WALKERS  ( Orthoptera  ambulatoria),  like  the  spectres 
or  walking-sticks,  having  weak  and  slender  legs,  which  do 
not  admit  of  rapid  motion  ;  and 

4.  JUMPERS  (  Orthoptera  saltatoria),  such  as  crickets,  grass- 
hoppers, and  locusts,  in  which  the  thighs  of  the  hind  legs  are 
much  larger  than  the  others,  and  are  filled  and  moved  with 
powerful  muscles,  which  enable  these  insects  to  leap  with 
facility. 

I.     RUNNERS.     ( Orthoptera  Cursoria. ) 

In  English  works  on  gardening,  earwigs  are  reckoned 
among  obnoxious  insects,  various  remedies  are  suggested  to 
banish  them  from  the  garden,  and  even  traps  and  other 
devices  are  described  for  capturing  and  destroying  them. 
They  have  a  rather  long  and  somewhat  flattened  body, 
which  is  armed  at  the  hinder  end  with  a  pair  of  slender 
sharp-pointed  blades,  opening  and  shutting  horizontally  like 
scissors,  or  like  a  pair  of  nippers,  which  suggested  the  name 
of  Forficida,  literally  little  nippers,  applied  to  them  by  scien- 
tific writers.  Although  no  well  authenticated  instances  are 
on  record  of  their  entering  the  human  ear,  yet,  during  the 
daytime,  they  creep  into  all  kinds  of  crevices  for  the  sake 
of  concealment,  and  come  out  to  feed  chiefly  by  night.  It 
is  common  with  English  gardeners  to  hang  up,  among  the 
flowers  and  fruit-trees  subject  to  their  attacks,  pieces  of  hol- 
low reeds,  lobster  claws,  and  the  like,  which  offer  enticing 
places  of  retreat  for  these  insects  on  the  approach  of  daylight, 
and  by  means  thereof  great  numbers  of  them  are  obtained 
in  the  morning.  The  little  creeping  animal,  with  numerous 
legs,  commonly  but  erroneously  called  earwig  in  America,  is 
not  an  insect ;  but  of  the  true  earwig  we  have  several  species, 
though  they  are  by  no  means  common,  and  certainly  never 
appear  in  such  numbers  as  to  prove  seriously  injurious  to 
vegetation.  Nevertheless,  it  seemed  well  to  give  to  this  kind 
of  insect  a  passing  notice  in  its  proper  place  among  the 
Orthoptera,  were  it  only  for  its  notoriety  in  other  countries. 


COCKROACHES. 


145 


Fig.  66. 


Of  cockroaches  (Blotto)  we  have  also  several  kinds ; 
those  which  are  indigenous  I  believe  are 
found  exclusively  in  woods,  under  stones 
and  leaves,  while  the  others,  and  particu- 
larly the  Oriental  cockroach  (Blatta  ori- 
entalis),  (Fig.  66,)  which  is  supposed  to 
have  originated  in  Asia,  whence  it  has 
spread  to  Europe,  and  thence  to  Amer- 
ica, and  has  multiplied  and  become  estab- 
lished in  most  of  our  maritime  commercial 
towns,  are  domestic  species,  and  are  found 
in  houses,  under  kitchen  hearths,  about 
ovens,  and  in  dark  and  warm  closets, 
whence  they  issue  at  night,  and  prowl 
about  in  search  of  food.  But,  as  these 
disgusting  and  ill-smelling  insects  con- 
fine themselves  to  our  dwellings,  and  do  not  visit  our  gar- 
dens and  fields,  they  will  require  no  further  remarks  than 
the  mention  of  a  method  which  has  sometimes  been  found 
useful  in  destroying  them.  Mix  together  a  table-spoonful 
of  red-lead  and  of  Indian  meal  with  molasses  enough  to 
make  a  thick  batter,  and  place  the  mixture  at  night  on  a 
plate  or  piece  of  board  in  the  closets  or  on  the  hearths 
frequented  by  the  cockroaches.  They  will  eat  it  and  be- 
come poisoned  thereby.  The  dose  is  to  be  repeated  for 
several  nights  in  succession.  Dr.  F.  H.  Horner*  recom- 
mends the  following  preparation  to  destroy  cockroaches. 
Mix  one  teaspoonful  of  powdered  arsenic  with  a  table- 
spoonful  of  mashed  potato,  and  crumble  one  third  of  it, 
every  night,  at  bedtime,  about  the  kitchen  hearth,  or  where 
the  insects  will  find  and  devour  it.  As  both  of  these  prep- 
arations are  veiy  poisonous,  great  care  should  be  taken  in 
the  use  of  them,  and  of  any  portions  that  may  be  left  by 
the  insects. 


*  Downing's  Horticulturist,  Vol.  H.  p.  343  (Jan.  1848). 
19 


146  ORTHOPTERA. 

II.     GRASPERS.     ( Orthoptera  raptoria.) 

These,  which  consist  of  the  Mantes,  called  praying  mantes 
and  soothsayers,  from  their  singular  attitudes  and  motions, 
and  camel-crickets,  from  the  great  length  of  the  neck,  are 
chiefly  tropical  insects,  though  some  of  them  are  occasionally 
found  in  this  country.  Moreover,  they  are  exclusively  pre- 
daceous  insects,  seizing,  with  their  singular  fore  legs,  cater- 
pillars, and  other  weaker  insects,  which  they  devour.  They 
are,  therefore,  to  be  enumerated  among  the  insects  that  are 
beneficial  to  mankind,  by  keeping  in  check  those  that  subsist 
on  vegetable  food. 

III.     WALKERS.     ( Orthoptera  ambtdatoria. ) 

To  this  division  belong  various  insects,  mostly  found  in 
warm  climates,  and  displaying  the  most  extraordinary  forms. 
Some  of  them  are  furnished  with  wings,  which,  by  their 
shape,  and  the  branching  veins  with  which  they  are  covered, 
exactly  represent  leaves,  either  green,  or  dry  and  withered  ; 
such  are  the  walking-leaves,  as  they  are  called  (Phyllium 
pulckrifolium,  siccifolium,  &c.).  Others  are  wingless,  of  a 
long  and  cylindrical  shape,  resembling  a  stick  with  the  bark 
on  it,  while  the  slender  legs,  standing  out  on  each  side,  give 
to  these  insects  almost  precisely  the  appearance  of  a  little 
branching  twig,  whence  is  derived  the  name  of  walking-sticks, 
generally  applied  to  them.  The  South  American  Bacteria 
arumatia,  rubispinosa,  and  phyllina,  and  two  species  of  Dia- 
pheromera?1  described  and  figured  in  Say's  "  American 
Entomology,"  under  the  names  of  Spectrum  femoratum  (Fig. 
67,  male)  and  bivittatum,  are  of  the  latter  description.  These 
insects  are  very  sluggish  and  inactive,  are  found  among  trees 

[  l  Two  species  of  Phagma  are  noticed.  The  first  is  Bacunculus  femoraius,  Say, 
which  has  also  received  the  name  of  Bacunculus  Sayi,  Burm.,  and  under  which 
name  it  is  best  known  to  European  authors.  The  latter  was  long  ago  figured  by 
Stoll,  in  his  great  work  upon  the  Orthoptera,  and  his  name  preoccupied  that  of 
Say  and  should  be  retained  for  it;  it  is  Amuomorj>ha  Buprestoides.  The  former 
ha*  been  found  in  most  of  the  States  east  of  the  Mississippi,  while  the  latter  is 
peculiar  to  Florida  and  some  of  the  Southern  States.  —  UHLEK.] 


THE    WALKING-STICK. 


147 


and  bushes,  on  which  they  often  remain  motionless  for  a  long 
time,  or  walk  slowly  over  the  leaves  and  young  shoots,  which 


Fig.  67. 


are  their  appropriate  food.  The  American  species  are  not 
so  numerous,  and  have  not  proved  so  injurious  as  particu- 
larly to  attract  attention. 


148  ORTHOPTERA. 

IV.    JUMPERS.     (Orthoptera  saUataria.) 

These  are  by  far  the  most  abundant  and  prolific,  and  the 
most  destructive  of  the  Orthopterous  insects.  They  were  all 
included  by  Linnaeus  in  his  great  genus  Gryllus,  in  separate 
divisions,  however,  three  of  which  correspond  to  the  families 
Achetadce,*  GryUiadceJ  and  Locustiadce,$  in  my  "  Catalogue 
of  the  Insects  of  Massachusetts,"  and  may  retain  the  synony- 
mous English  names  of  Crickets,  Grasshoppers,  and  Locusts. 
These  three  families  may  thus  be  distinguished  from  each 
other. 

1.  Crickets  (ACHETAD^E)  ;  with  the  wing-covers  horizon- 
tal, and  furnished  with  a  narrow,  deflexed  outer   border ; 
a 1 1 1> •! m:i •  long  and  tapering ;  feet  three-jointed  (except  CEcan- 
thus,  which  has  four  joints  to  the  hind  feet)  ;  two  tapering, 
downy  bristles  at  the  end  of  the  body,  between  which,  in 
most  of  the  females,  there  is  a  long  spear-pointed  piercer. 

2.  Grasshoppers  (GRYLLID.E)  ;  with  the  wing-covers  slop- 
ing downwards  at  the  sides  of  the  body,  or  roofed,  and  not 
bordered ;  antenna?  long  and  tapering ;  feet  with  four  joints  ; 
end  of  the  body,  in  the  females,  with  a  projecting  sword  or 
sabre-shaped  piercer. 

3.  Locusts   (  LOCUST AD.E)  ;  with  the  wing-covers   roofed, 
and  not  bordered ;  antennas  rather  short,  and  in  general  not 
tapering  at  the  end ;  feet  with  only  three  joints  ;  female  with- 
out a  projecting  piercer. 

1.  CRICKETS.     (Achetadce.*) 

There  may  sometimes  be  seen  in  moist  and  soft  ground, 
particularly  around  ponds,  little  ridges  or  hills  of  loose  fresh 
earth,  smaller  than  those  which  are  formed  by  moles.  They 
cover  little  burrows,  that  usually  terminate  beneath  a  stone 
or  clod  of  turf.  These  burrows  are  made  and  inhabited  by 
mole-crickets,  which  are  among  the  most  extraordinary  of 
the  cricket  kind.  The  common  mole-cricket  of  tliis  country 

•  Grylhu  Acketo,  Linnseus.        f  GryUut  Tettiyonia,  L.        J  Gryllut  Locusla,  L. 


THE    COMMON    MOLE-CRICKET.  149 

(Fig.  68)  is,  when  Mly  grown,  about  one  inch  and  a  quarter 
in  length,  of  a  light  bay  or  fawn  color,  Fig  68 

and  covered  with  a  very  short  and  vel- 
vet-like down.  The  wing-covers  are 
not  half  the  length  of  the  abdomen,  and 
the  wings  are  also  short,  their  tips,  when 
folded,  extending  only  about  one  eighth 
of  an  inch  beyond  the  wing-covers. 
The  fore  legs  are  admirably  adapted 
for  digging,  being  very  short,  broad, 
and  strong ;  and  the  shanks,  which  are 
excessively  broad,  flat,  and  three-sided, 
have  the  lower  side  divided  by  deep 
notches  into  four  finger-like  projections, 
that  give  to  this  part  very  much  the 
appearance  and  the  power  of  the  hand 
of  a  mole.  From  this  similarity  in 
structure,  and  from  its  burrowing  habits, 
this  insect  receives  its  scientific  name  of  G-ryllotalpa,  derived 
from  Grryllus,  the  ancient  name  of  the  cricket,  and  Talpa, 
a  mole;  and  our  common  species  has  the  additional  name 
of  brevipennis,*  or  short-winged,  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
European  species,  which  has  much  longer  wings.  Mole- 
crickets  avoid  the  light  of  day,  and  are  active  chiefly  during 
the  night.  They  live  on  the  tender  roots  of  plants,  and  in 
Europe,  where  they  infest  moist  gardens  and  meadows,  they 
often  do  great  injury  by  burrowing  under  the  turf,  and 
cutting  off  the  roots  of  the  grass,  and  by  undermining  and 
destroying,  in  this  way,  sometimes  whole  beds  of  cabbages, 
beans,  and  flowers.  In  the  West  Indies,  extensive  ravages 
have  been  committed  in  the  plantations  of  the  sugar-cane  by 
another  species,  Q-ryllotalpa  didactyla,  which  has  only  two 

*  Serville,  "  Orthopteres,"  p.  308.2 

[ 2  It  was  previously  described  by  Burmeister,  under  the  name  G.  borealis,  and 
this  name  must  be  applied  to  it  and  retained.  It  was  known  to  Catesby,  who 
figures  it  in  his  *'  Natural  History  of  Carolina."  —  UHLKK.] 


150  ORTHOPTERA. 

finger-like  projections  on  the  shin.  The  mole-cricket  of  Eu- 
rope lays  from  two  to  three  hundred  eggs,  and  the  young 
do  not  come  to  maturity  till  the  third  year ;  circumstances 
both  contributing  greatly  to  increase  the  ravages  of  these 
insects.  It  is  observed,  that,  in  proportion  as  cultivation  is 
extended,  destructive  insects  multiply,  and  their  depredations 
become  more  serious.  We  may,  therefore,  in  process  of 
time,  find  mole-crickets  in  this  country  quite  as  much  a  pest 
as  they  are  in  Europe,  although  their  depredations  have 
hitherto  been  limited  to  so  small  an  extent  as  not  to  have 
attracted  much  notice.  Should  it  hereafter  become  necessary 
to  employ  means  for  checking  them,  poisoning  might  be 
tried,  such  as  placing,  in  the  \icinity  of  their  burrows,  grated 
carrots  or  potatoes  mixed  with  arsenic.  It  is  well  known 
that  swine  will  eat  almost  all  kinds  of  insects,  and  that  they 
are  very  sagacious  in  rooting  them  out  of  the  ground.  They 
might,  therefore,  be  employed  with  advantage  to  destroy 
these  and  other  noxious  insects,  if  other  means  should  fail. 

We  have  no  house-crickets  in  America ; 3  our  species  in- 
habit gardens  and  fields,  and  enter  our  houses  only  by  acci- 
dent. Crickets  are,  in  great  measure,  nocturnal  and  solitary 
insects,  concealing  themselves  by  day,  and  coming  from  their 
retreats  to  seek  their  food  and  their  mates  by  night.  There 
are  some  species,  however,  which  differ  greatly  from  the 
others  in  their  social  habits.  These  are  not  unfrequently 
seen  during  the  daytime  in  great  numbers  in  paths,  and  by 
the  roadside ;  but  the  other  kinds  rarely  expose  themselves 
to  the  light  of  day,  and  their  music  is  heard  only  at  night. 
With  crickets,  as  with  grasshoppers,  locusts,  and  harvest- 
flies,  the  males  only  are  musical ;  for  the  females  are  not 
provided  with  the  instruments  from  which  the  sounds  emitted 

[»  This  language  may  apply  to  the  particular  district  in  which  Dr.  Harris  made 
hi»  observation*,  but  it  would  be  gratuitous  to  say  that  we  have  no  house-crickets 
in  America,  for  nothing  is  better  known  to  the  country-people  of  Maryland  than 
the  "cricket  on  the  hearth,"  and  in  some  sections  of  the  West  they  are  also  well 
known  to  inhabit  the  chimney-places  and  first-floor  apartments  of  the  dwellings. 

—  I    III  I  l:.  | 


HABITS    OF    THE    CRICKETS.  151 

by  these  different  insects  are  produced.  In  the  male  cricket 
these  make  a  part  of  the  wing-covers,  the  horizontal  and  over- 
lapping portion  of  which,  near  the  thorax,  is  convex,  and 
marked  with  large,  strong,  and  irregularly  curved  veins. 
When  the  cricket  shrills,  (we  cannot  say  sings,  for  he  has 
no  vocal  organs,)  he  raises  the  wing-covers  a  little,  and 
shuffles  them  together  lengthwise,  so  that  the  projecting 
veins  of  one  are  made  to  grate  against  those  of  the  other. 
The  English  name  cricket,  and  the  French  m-m,  are  evi- 
dently derived  from  the  creaking  sounds  of  these  insects. 
Mr.  White  of  Selborne  says  that  "  the  shrilling  of  the  field- 
cricket,  though  sharp  and  stridulous,  yet  marvellously  de- 
lights some  hearers,  filling  their  minds  with  a  train  of  summer 
ideas  of  eveiything  that  is  rural,  verdurous,  and  joyous  " ; 
sentiments  in  which  few  persons,  if  any,  in  America  will 
participate ;  for  with  us  the  creaking  of  crickets  does  not 
begin  till  summer  is  gone,  and  the  continued  and  monotonous 
sounds,  which  they  keep  up  during  the  whole  night,  so 
long  as  autumn  lasts,  are  both  wearisome  and  sad.  Where 
crickets  abound,  they  do  great  injury  to  vegetation,  eating 
the  most  tender  parts  of  plants,  and  even  devouring  roots 
and  fruits,  whenever  they  can  get  them.  Melons,  squashes, 
and  even  potatoes,  are  often  eaten  by  them,  and  the  quantity 
of  grass  that  they  destroy  must  be  great,  from  the  immense 
numbers  of  these  insects  which  are  sometimes  seen  in  our 
meadows  and  fields.  They  may  be  poisoned  in  the  same 
way  as  mole-crickets.  Crickets  are  not  entirely  confined 
to  a  vegetable  diet ;  they  devour  other  insects  whenever  they 
can  meet  with  and  can  overpower  them.  They  deposit- their 
eggs,  which  are  numerous,  in  the  ground,  making  holes  for 
their  reception,  with  their  long,  spear-pointed  piercers.  The 
eggs  are  laid  in  the  autumn,  and  do  not  appear  to  be  hatched 
till  the  ensuing  summer.  The  old  insects  for  the  most  part, 
die  on  the  approach  of  cold  weather ;  but  a  few  survive  the 
winter,  by  sheltering  themselves  under  stones,  or  in  holes 
secure  from  the  access  of  water. 


152 


ORTHOPTERA 


K:.-.  •    ' 


The  scientific  name  of  the  genus  that  includes  the  cricket 
is  Acheta,  and  our  common  species  is 
the  Acheta  abbreviata  (Fig.  69),  so 
named  from  the  shortness  of  its  wings, 
which  do  not  extend  beyond  the  wing- 
covers.  It  is  about  three  quarters  of 
an  inch  in  length,  of  a  black  color,  with 
a  brownish  tinge  at  the  base  of  the 
wing-covers,  and  a  pale  line  on  each 
side  above  the  deflexed  border.  The 
pale  line  is  most  distinct  in  the  female, 
and  is  oftentimes  entirely  wanting  in 
the  male. 

We  have  another  species  with  very 
short  or  abortive  wings ;  it  is  entirely 
of  a  black  color,  and  measures  six  tenths  of  an  inch  in  length 
from  the  head  to  the  end  of  the  body.  It  may  be  called 
Acheta  nigraf  the  black  cricket. 

A  third  species,  differing  from  these  two  in  being  entirely 
destitute  of  wings,  and  in  having  the  wing-covers  proportion- 
ally much  shorter,  and  the  last  joint  of  the  feelers  (palpi) 
almost  twice  the  length  of  the  preceding  joint,  is  furthermore 
distinguished  from  them  by  its  greatly  inferior  size,  and  its 
different  coloring.  It  measures  from  three  to  above  four 
tenths  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  varies  in  color  from  dusky 
brown  to  rusty  black,  the  wing-covers  and  hindmost  thighs 
being  always  somewhat  lighter.  In  the  brownish-colored 
varieties  three  longitudinal  black  lines  are  distinctly  visible 
on  the  top  of  the  head,  and  a  black  line  on  each  side  of 
the  thorax,  which  is  continued  along  the  sides  of  the  wing- 
covers  to  their  tips.  This  black  line  on  the  wing-covers  is 
never  wanting,  even  in  the  darkest  varieties.  The  hindmost 
thighs  have,  on  the  outside,  three  rows  of  short  oblique 
black  lines,  presenting  somewhat  of  a  twilled  appearance. 

[  «  It  is  A.  Pentuylranicfi,  Burm.  Priority  of  nomenclature  requires  this  name 
to  b«  retained.  —  UHI.KR.] 


THE    CLIMBING    CRICKETS.  153 

This  is  one  of  the  social  species,  which,  associated  together 
in  great  swarms,  and  feeding  in  common,  fre- 
quent our  meadows  and  road-sides,  and,  so  far 
from  avoiding  the  light  of  day,  seem  to  be  quite 
as  fond  of  it  as  others  are  of  darkness.  It  may 
be  called  Acheta  vittata,*  (Fig.  70,)  the  striped 
cricket. 

These  kinds  of  crickets  live  upon  the  ground, 
and  among  the  grass  and  low  herbage ;  but  there 
is  another  kind  which  inhabits  the  stems  and  branches  of 
shrubs  and  trees,  concealing  itself  during  the  daytime  among 
the  leaves,  or  in  the  flowers  of  these  plants.  Some  Isabella 
grape-vines,  which  were  trained  against  one  side  of  my 
house,  were  much  resorted  to  by  these  delicate  and  noisy 
little  crickets.  The  males  begin  to  be  heard  about  the 
middle  of  August,  and  do  not  leave  us  until  after  the 
middle  of  September.  Their  shrilling  is  excessively  loud, 
and  is  produced,  like  that  of  other  crickets,  by  the  rubbing  of 
one  wing-cover  against  the  other ;  but  they  generally  raise 
their  wing-covers  much  higher  than  other  crickets  do  while 
they  are  playing.  These  wing-covers,  in  the  males,  are  also 
very  large,  and  as  long  as  the  wings  ;  they  are  exceedingly 
thin,  and  perfectly  transparent,  and  have  the  horizontal 
portion  divided  into  four  unequal  parts  by  three  oblique 
raised  lines,  two  of  which  are  parallel  and  form  an  angle  with 
the  anterior  line.  The  antennae  and  legs  are  both  very  long 
and  slender,  the  hinder  thighs  being  much  smaller  in  pro- 
portion than  those  of  other  crickets,  and  the  hindmost  feet 
have  four  instead  of  three  joints.  The  two  bristle-formed 
appendages  at  the  end  of  the  body  are  as  long  as  the  piercer, 
and  the  latter  is  only  about  half  the  length  of  the  body,  while, 
in  the  ground-crickets,  the  piercer  is  usually  as  long  as 
the  body,  or  longer.  These  insects  have,  therefore,  been  sep- 
arated from  the  other  crickets,  under  the  generical  name  of 
(Ecanthus,  a  word  which  means  inhabiting  flowers.  They 

*  It  belongs  to  M.  Serville's  new  genus  Nemobius. 
20 


154 


OKTHOPTERA. 


Fig.  71. 


may  be  called  climbing  crickets,  from  their  habit  of  mounting 
upon  plants  and  dwelling  among  the  leaves  and  flowers. 
According  to  M.  Salvi,*  the  female  makes  several  perfora- 
tions in  the  tender  stems  of  plants,  and  in  each  perforation 
thrusts  two  eggs  quite  to  the  pith.  The  eggs  are  hatched 
about  midsummer,  and  the  young  immediately  issue  from 
their  nests  and  conceal  themselves  among  the  thickest  foliage 
of  the  plant.  When  arrived  at  maturity  the  males  begin 
their  nocturnal  serenade  at  the  approach  of  twilight,  and 
continue  it  with  little  or  no  intermission  till  the  dawn  of  day. 
Should  one  of  these  little  musicians  get  admission  to  the 
chamber,  his  incessant  and  loud  shrilling  will  effectually 
banish  sleep.  Of  three  species  which  in- 
habit the  United  States,  one  only  is  found 
in  Massachusetts.  It  is  the  (Ecanihus  ni- 
veus  (Fig.  71),  or  white  climbing  cricket. 
The  male  is  ivoiy-white,  with  the  up- 
per side  of  the  first  joint  of  the  antennae, 
and  the  head  between  the  eyes,  of  an 
ochre-yellow  color ;  there  is  a  minute  black 
dot  on  the  under  sides  of  the  first  and 
second  joints  of  the  antennae  ;  and  in  some 
individuals  the  extremities  of  the  feet  and  the  under  sides 
of  the  hindmost  thighs  are  ochre-yellow.  The  body  is 
about  half  an  inch  long,  exclusive  of  the  wing-covers.  The 

female  (Fig.  72)  is  usually 
rather  longer,  but  the  wing- 
covers  are  much  narrower 
than  those  of  the  male,  and 
there  is  a  great  diversity  of 

coloring  in  this  sex ;  the  body  being  sometimes  almost  white, 
or  pale  greenish-yellow,  or  dusky,  and  blackish  beneath. 
There  are  three  dusky  stripes  on  the  head  and  thorax,  and 
the  legs,  antenna3,  and  piercer  are  more  or  less  dusky  or 
blackish.  The  wing-covers  and  wings  are  yellowish-white, 

*  Memorie  intorno  le  Locuste  grillage.    8vo,  Verona,  1750. 


Fig.  72. 


THE    GRASSHOPPERS.  155 

sometimes  with  a  tinge  of  green,  and  the  wings  are  rather 
longer  than  the  covers.  Some  of  these  insects  have  been 
sent  to  me  by  a  gentleman  who  found  them  piercing  and 
laying  eggs  in  the  branches  of  a  peach-tree.  Another  cor- 
respondent, who  is  interested  in  the  tobacco  culture  in  Con- 
necticut, informed  me  that  they  injured  the  plant  by  eating 
holes  in  the  leaves. 

2.  GRASSHOPPERS.    {Gryllidce.*) 

Grasshoppers,  properly  so  called,  as  before  stated,  are  those 
jumping  orthopterous  insects  which  have  four  joints  to  all 
their  feet,  long  bristle-formed  antennae,  and  in  which  the 
females  are  provided  with  a  piercer,  flattened  at  the  sides, 
and  somewhat  resembling  a  sword  or  cimeter  in  shape.  The 
wing-covers  slope  downwards  at  the  sides  of  the  body,  and 
overlap  only  a  little  on  the  top  of  the  back  near  the  thorax. 
This  overlapping  portion,  which  forms  a  long  triangle,  is 
traversed,  in  the  males,  by  strong  projecting  veins,  between 
which,  in  many  of  them,  are  membranous  spaces  as  transpar- 
ent as  glass.  The  sounds  emitted  by  the  males,  and  varying 
according  to  the  species,  are  produced  by  the  friction  of  these 
overlapping  portions  together. 

In  Massachusetts  there  is  one  kind  of  grasshopper  which 
forms  a  remarkable  exception  to  the  other  native  insects  of 
this  family ;  and,  as  it  does  not  seem  to  have  been  named 
or  described  by  any  author,  although  by  no  means  an  un- 
common insect,  it  may  receive  a  passing  notice  here.  It  is 
found  only  under  stones  and  rubbish  in  woods,  has  a  short 
thick  body,  and  remarkably  stout  hind  thighs,  like  a  cricket, 
but  is  entirely  destitute  of  wing-covers  and  wings,  even  when 
arrived  at  maturity.  It  belongs  to  M.  Serville's  genus  Pha- 
langopsis,  and  I  propose  to  call  it  Phalangop#i8  maculata,* 

*  Gi-yllus  macidatrts,  Harris.     Catalogue  of  the  Insects  of  Massachusetts.5 

[5  According  to  the  authority  of  Erichson,  it  was  previously  described  with 
the  name  Phalanyopsls  lapidicola,  Burin.  —  UHLEK.] 


156  ORTHOPTERA. 

(Fig.  73,)  the  spotted  wingless  cricket.     Its  body  is  of  a  pale 
yellowish-brown  color,  darker  on  the  back,  which  is  covered 
73  with   little    light-colored 

spots,  and  the  outside  of 
the  hindmost  thighs  is 
marked  with  numerous 
short  oblique  lines,  dis- 
posed in  parallel  rows, 
like  those  on  the  thighs  of 
Acheta  vittata.  It  varies  in  length  from  one  half  to  more  than 
three  quarters  of  an  inch,  exclusive  of  the  piercer  and  legs. 
The  body  is  smooth  and  shining,  and  the  back  is  arched. 

Most  grasshoppers  are  of  a  green  color,  and  are  furnished 
with  wings  and  wing-covers,  the  latter  frequently  resembling 
the  leaves  of  trees  and  shrubs,  upon  which,  indeed,  many  of 
these  insects  pass  the  greater  part  of  their  lives.  Their  leaf- 
like  form  and  green  color  evidently  seem  to  have  been  de- 
signed for  their  better  concealment.  They  are  nocturnal 
insects,  or  at  least  more  active  by  night  than  by  day.  When 
taken  between  the  fingers,  they  emit  from  their  mouths  a 
considerable  quantity  of  dark-colored  fluid,  as  do  also  the 
locusts  or  diurnal  grasshoppers.  They  devour  the  leaves  of 
plants,  and  lead  a  solitary  life,  or  at  least  do  not  associate 
and  migrate  from  place  to  place  in  great  swarms,  like  some 
of  the  crickets  and  the  locusts.  There  is  a  remarkable  differ- 
ence in  their  habits,  which  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
described  hitherto.  Some  of  these  grasshoppers  live  upon 
grass  and  other  herbaceous  or  low  plants  in  fields  and  mead- 
ows. The  piercer  of  the  females  is  often  straight,  or  only 
slightly  curved.  They  commit  their  eggs  to  the  earth,  thrust- 
ing them  into  holes  made  therein  with  the  piercer.  They  lay 
a  large  number  of  eggs  at  a  time,  and  cover  them  with  a  kind 
of  varnish,  which,  when  dry,  forms  a  thin  film  that  com- 
pletely encloses  them.  These  eggs  are  elongated,  and  nearly 
of  an  ellipsoidal  form.  Other  green  Grylli  live  upon  trees 
and  shrubs.  Their  wing-covers  and  wings  are  broader,  and 


THE    KATY-DID.  157 

their  piercer  is  shorter  and  often  more  curved,  than  in  the 
foregoing  kinds.  They  do  not  lay  their  eggs  in  the  ground, 
but  deposit  them  upon  branches  and  twigs,  in  regular  rows. 
My  attention  was  first  directed  to  the  eggs  of  the  tree-grylli 
by  Mr.  F.  C.  HiU,  late  of  Philadelphia. 

Some  of  these  grasshoppers  have  the  front  of  the  head 
obtuse,  and  others  have  it  conical,  or  prolonged  to  a  point 
between  the  antennas.  Among  the  former  is  the  insect 
which,  from  its  peculiar  note,  is  called  the  katy-did.  Its 
body  is  of  a  pale  green  color,  the  wing-covers  and  wings 
being  somewhat  darker.  Its  thorax  is  rough  like  shagreen, 
and  has  somewhat  the  form  of  a  saddle,  being  curved  down- 
wards on  each  side,  and  rounded  and  slightly  elevated  behind, 
and  is  marked  by  two  slightly  transverse  furrows.  The 
wings  are  rather  shorter  than  the  wing-covers,  and  the  latter 
are  very  large,  oval,  and  concave,  and  enclose  the  body  with- 
in their  concavity,  meeting  at  the  edges  above  and  below, 
somewhat  like  the  two  sides  or  valves  of  a  pea-pod.  The 
veins  are  large,  very  distinct,  and  netted  like  those  of  some 
leaves,  and  there  is  one  vein  of  larger  size  running  along  the 
middle  of  each  wing-cover,  and  simulating  the  midrib  of  a 
leaf.  The  musical  organs  of  the  male  consist  of  a  pair  of 
taborets.  They  are  formed  by  a  thin  and  transparent  mem- 
brane stretched  in  a  strong  half-oval  frame  in  the  triangular 
overlapping  portion  of  each  wing-cover.  During  the  daytime 
these  insects  are  silent,  and  conceal  themselves  among  the 
leaves  of  trees ;  but  at  night  they  quit  their  lurking-places, 
and  the  joyous  males  begin  the  tell-tale  call  with  which  they 
enliven  their  silent  mates.  This  proceeds  from  the  friction 
of  the  taboret  frames  against  each  other  when  the  wing-covers 
are  opened  and  shut,  and  consists  of  two  or  three  distinct 
notes  almost  exactly  resembling  articulated  sounds,  and  cor- 
responding with  the  number  of  times  that  the  wing-covers 
are  opened  and  shut ;  and  the  notes  are  repeated  at  intervals 
of  a  few  minutes,  for  hours  together.  The  mechanism  of  the 
taborets,  and  the  concavity  of  the  wing-covers,  reverberate 


158  ORTHOPTEKA. 

and  increase  tlie  sound  to  such  a  degree,  that  it  may  be 
heard  in  the  stillness  of  the  night,  at  the  distance  of  a  quarter 
of  a  mile.  At  the  approach  of  twilight  the  katy-did  mounts 
to  the  upper  branches  of  the  tree  in  which  he  lives,  and,  as 
soon  as  the  shades  of  evening  prevail,  begins  his  noisy  babble, 
while  rival  notes  issue  from  the  neighboring  trees,  and  the 
groves  resound  with  the  call  of  " katy-did,  she-did"  the  live- 
long night.  Of  this  insect  I  have  met  with  no  scientific 
description  except  my  own,  which  was  published  in  1831  in 
the  eighth  volume  of  the  "  Encyclopaedia  Americana,"  page 
Fig  74  42.  It  is  the  Platypkyllum* 

concavum,^  (Fig.  74,)  and 
measures,  from  the  head  to 
the  end  of  the  wing-covers, 
rather  more  than  one  inch 
and  a  half,  the  body  alone 
being  one  inch  in  length. 
The  piercer  is  broad,  later- 
ally compressed,  and  curved 
like  a  cimeter ;  and  there 
are,  in  both  sexes,  two  little 
thorn-like  projections  from 
the  middle  of  the  breast  be- 
tween the  fore  legs.  The 
katy-did  is  found  in  the  per- 
fect state  during  the  months 

of  September  and  October,  at  which  time  the  female  lays  her 
These  are  slate-colored,  and  are  rather   more  than 


*  Platyphyllum  means  broad- wing. 

t  Can  this  be  the  Locusta  perspicillala  of  Fabricius?* 

[•This  is  CyrtophyUtu  perspicillatut,  Barm.  =  Locusta  perspicillata,  Fab.     Dr. 

Harm's  generic  name  has  priority  over  that  of  Burmeister,  and  hence  this  insect 

t  be  called  PlatyphyUum  perspicillatum,  Fab.     The  insect  called  katy-did  in 

B  Southern  States  is  entirely  different  from  this  one,  although  its  habit  of  sitting 

upon  the  trees  and  issuing  this  shrill  note  has  induced  some  persons  to  mistake  it 

e  true  one  from  New  England.    The  Southern  katy-did  belongs  to  the  genus 

I'hylbpttra,  and  from  the  ovipositor  being  shaped  somewhat  like  that  of  Locusta 

Kfa,  De  (Jeer,  Dr.  Harris  supposed  it  to  be  that  species.  —  UHLKR.] 


THE    OBLONG    LEAF-WING.  159 

one  eighth  of  an  inch  in  length.  They  resemble  tiny  oval 
bivalve  shells  in  shape.  The  insect  lays  them  in  two  con- 
tiguous rows  along  the  surface  of  a  twig,  the  bark  of  which  is 
previously  shaved  off  or  made  rough  with  her  piercer.  Each 
row  consists  of  eight  or  nine  eggs,  placed  somewhat  obliquely, 
and  overlapping  each  other  a  little,  and  they  are  fastened  to 
the  twig  with  a  gummy  substance.  In  hatching,  the  egg  splits 
open  at  one  end,  and  the  young  insect  creeps  through  the  cleft. 
I  am  indebted  to  Miss  Morris  for  specimens  of  these  eggs. 

We  have  another  broad- winged  green  grasshopper,  differ- 
ing from  the  katy-did,  in  having  the  wing-covers  narrower, 
flat  and  not  concave,  and  shorter  than  the  wings,  the  thorax 
smooth,  flat  above,  and  abruptly  bent  downwards  at  a  right 
angle  on  each  side,  and  the  breast  without  any  projecting 
spines  in  the  middle.  The  piercer  has  the  same  form  as  that 
of  the  katy-did.  The  musical  organ  of  the  left  wing-cover, 
which  is  the  uppermost,  is  not  transparent,  but  is  green 
and  opaque,  and  is  traversed  by  a  strong  curved  vein ;  that 
of  the  right  wing-cover  is  semi-transparent  in  the  middle. 
This  insect  is  the  Phylloptera  oblongifolia,*  (Fig.  75,)  or  ob- 

Fig.  75. 


long  leaf-winged  grasshopper.  Its  body  measures  about  an 
inch  in  length,  and  from  the  head  to  the  tips  of  the  wings, 
from  an  inch  and  three  quarters  to  three  inches.  It  is  found 
in  its  perfect  state  during  the  months  of  September  and 
October,  upon  trees,  and,  when  it  flies,  makes  a  whizzing 
noise  somewhat  like  that  of  a  weaver's  shuttle.  The  notes 

*  Locusta  oblongifolia  of  De  Geer,  a  different  species  from  the  laurifolia  of  Lin- 
naeus, with  which  it  has  been  confounded  by  many  naturalists. 


160 


ORTHOPTERA. 


of  the  male,  though  grating,  are  comparatively  feeble.  The 
females  lay  their  eggs  in  the  autumn  on  the  twigs  of  trees 
and  shrubs,  in  double  rows,  of  seven  or  eight  eggs  in  each 
row.  These  eggs,  in  form,  size,  and  color,  and  in  their 
arrangement  on  the  twig,  strikingly  resemble  those  of  the 
katy-did.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Hill,  of  Waltham,  had  the 
kindness  to  procure  some  of  them  for  me  from  Philadelphia. 
A  third  species,  also  of  a  green  color,  with  still  narrower 
wing-covers,  which  are  of  almost  equal  width  from  one  end 
to  the  other,  but  are  rounded  at  the  tips,  and  are  shorter 
than  the  wings,  has  the  head,  thorax,  musical  organs,  and 
breast  like  those  of  the  preceding  species,  but  the  piercer  is 

Fig.  76. 


much  shorter,  and  very  much  more  crooked,  being  bent 
vertically  upwards  from  near  its  base.  The  male  has  a  long 
tapering  projection  from  the  under  side  of  the  extremity  of 


THE    MEADOW    GRASSHOPPERS.  161 

the  body,  curved  upwards  like  the  piercer  of  the  female. 
This  grasshopper  belongs  to  the  genus  Phaneroptera,  so 
named,  probably,  because  the  wings  are  visible  beyond  the 
tips  of  the  wing-covers ;  and,  as  it  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  described  before,  I  propose  to  call  it  angustifolia,* 
(Fig.  76,)  the  narrow-leaved.  It  measures  from  the  fore- 
head to  the  end  of  the  abdomen  about  three  quarters  of  an 
inch,  and  to  the  tips  of  the  wings  from  an  inch  and  a  half 
to  an  inch  and  three  quarters.  Its  habits  appear  to  be  the 
same  as  those  of  the  oblongifolia.  It  comes  to  maturity 
some  time  in  the  latter  part  of  August  or  the  beginning  of 
September. 

From  the  middle  till  the  end  of  summer,  the  grass  in  our 
meadows  and  moist  fields  is  filled  with  myriads  of  little  grass- 
hoppers, of  different  ages,  and  of  a  light  green  color,  with  a 
brown  stripe  on  the  top  of  the  head,  extending  to  the  tip  of 
the  little  smooth  and  blunt  projection  between  the  antennae, 
and  a  broader  brown  stripe  bounded  on  each  side  by  deeper 
brown  on  the  top  of  the  thorax.  The  antennae,  knees,  and 
shanks  are  green,  faintly  tinted  with  brown,  and  the  feet  are 
dusky.  When  come  to  maturity,  they  measure  three  quar- 
ters of  an  inch  or  more,  from  the  forehead  to  the  end  of  the 
body,  or  one  inch  to  the  ends  of  the  wing-covers.  The 
latter  are  abruptly  narrowed  in  the  middle,  and  taper  thence 
to  the  tip,  which,  however,  is  rounded,  and  extends  as  far 
back  as  the  wings.  The  color  of  the  wing-covers  is  green, 
but  they  are  faintly  tinged  with  brown  on  the  overlapping 
portion,  and  have  the  delicacy  and  semi-transparency  of  the 

*  I  formerly  mistook  this  insect  for  the  Locusla  curcicauda  of  De  Geer,  which 
is  found  in  the  Middle  and  Southern  States,  but  not  in  Massachusetts,  is  a  larger 
species,  with  wing-covers  broadest  in  the  middle,  and  different  organs  in  the  male, 
and  belongs  to  the  genus  PhyllopteraJ 

[T  This  is  the  true  curvicauda  ;  it  was  figured  by  Drury  as  P.  myrtifolia,  but  he 
unfortunately  confounded  it  with  a  species  somewhat  resembling  it  from  South 
America,  which  has  caused  some  authors  to  refer  his  figure  to  the  one  described 
by  Linnaeus;  but  that  is  a  different  insect,  belonging  to  the  genus  Phylloptera. 
The  synonymy  of  this  species  is,  Phaneroptera  cwvicauda,  De  Geer  =  P.  myrtifolia, 
Drury  =  P.  septenlrionalis,  Serv.  =  P.  angustifolia,  Harris.  —  UHLER.] 
21 


162 


ORTHOPTERA. 


skin  of  an  onion.  The  shrilling  organs  in  the  males  consist 
of  a  transparent  glassy  spot,  bounded  and  traversed  by  strong 
veins,  in  the  middle  of  the  overlapping  portion  of  each  wing- 
cover,  which  part  is  proportionally  much  larger  and  longer 
than  in  the  other  grasshoppers ;  but  the  transparent  spot  is 
rather  smaller  on  the  left  than  on  the  right  wing-cover.  The 
male  is  furthermore  distinguished  by  having  two  small  black 
spots  or  short  dashes,  one  behind  the  other,  on  each  wing- 
cover,  on  the  outside  of  the  transparent  spot.  The  wings 
are  green  on  their  front  margins,  transparent,  and  reflecting 
a  faint  pink  color  behind.  The  piercer  of  the  female  is 
cimeter-shaped,  being  curved,  and  pointed  at  the  end,  and  is 
about  three  tenths  of  an  inch  long.  The  hindmost  thighs,  in 
both  sexes,  are  smooth  and  not  spinous  beneath ;  there  are 
two  little  spines  in  the  middle  of  the  breast ;  and  the  anten- 
nae are  very  long  and  slender,  and  extend,  when  turned 
back,  considerably  beyond  the  end  of  the  hind  legs.  During 
the  evening,  and  even  at  other  times  in  shady  places,  the 
males  make  a  sharp  clicking  noise,  somewhat  like  that  pro- 
duced by  snapping  the  point  of  a  pen  against  the  thumb-nail, 
but  much  louder.  This  kind  of  grasshopper  very  much 
resembles  the  Locusta  agilis  of  De  Geer,  which  is  found  in 
Pennsylvania  and  the  Southern  States,  but  does  not  inhabit 
Massachusetts,  and  is  distinguished  from 
our  species  by  having  the  wings  nearly  one 
tenth  of  an  inch  longer  than  the  wing- 
covers,  the  antennas  excessively  long  (two 
inches  or  more),  and  the  piercer  not  quite 
so  much  curved  as  in  our  species,  besides 
other  differences  which  it  is  unnecessary 
to  record  here.  As  our  species  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  named,  or  described 
by  any  previous  writer,  I  propose  to  call 
it  Orchelimum  vulgare  (Fig.  77),  the  com- 
mon meadow-grasshopper,  the  generical 
name  signifying  literally,  I  dance  in  the 
meadow. 


Fig.  77. 


THE    SWORD-BEARER.  163 

With  this  species  another  one  is  also  found,  bearing  a  con- 
siderable resemblance  to  it  in  color  and  form,  but  measuring 

•  O 

only  four  or  five  tenths  of  an  inch  from  the  head  to  the  end 
of  the  body,  or  from  seven  to  eight  tenths  to  the  tips  of  the 
wings,  which  are  a  little  longer  than  the  wing-covers.  The 
latter  are  narrow  and  taper  to  the  end,  which  is  rounded,  but 
the  overlapping  portion  is  not  so  large  as  in  the  common 
species,  and  the  male  has  not  the  two  black  spots  on  each 
wing-cover.  The  upper  part  of  the  abdomen  is  brown,  with 
the  edges  of  the  segments  greenish-yellow,  and  the  piercer, 
which  is  nearly  three  tenths  of  an  inch  long;  is  brown  and 
nearly  straight.  This  little  insect  comes  very  near  to  Lo- 
custa  fasciata  of  De  Geer,  who,  however,  makes  no  mention 
of  the  broad  brown  stripe  on  the  head  and  thorax.  I  therefore 
presume  that  our  species  is  not  the  Fig.  78. 

same,  and  propose  to  call  it  Orcheli- 
mum  graeile  (Fig.  78),  the  slender 
meadow-grasshopper.  M.  Serville, 
by  whom  this  genus  was  instituted, 
has  described  three  species,  two  of 
which  are  stated  to  be  North  Amer- 
ican, and  the  remaining  one  is  probably  also  from  this  coun- 
try; but  his  descriptions  do  not  answer  for  either  of  our 
species.  Both  of  these  kinds  of  meadow-grasshoppers  are 
eaten  greedily  by  fowls  of  all  kinds. 

One  more  grasshopper  remains  to  be  described.  It  is 
distinguished  from  all  the  preceding  species  by  having  the 
head  conical,  and  extending  to  a  blunt  point  between  the 
eyes.  It  belongs  to  the  genus  Conocephalus,  a  word  express- 
ive of  the  conical  form  of  the  head,  and,  in  my  Catalogue 
of  the  Insects  of  Massachusetts,  bears  the  specific  name  of 
ensiger  (Fig.  79,  male),  the  sword-bearer,  from  the  long, 
straight,  sword-shaped  piercer  of  the  female.  It  measures 
an  inch  or  more  from  the  point  of  the  head  to  the  end  of 
the  body,  and  from  one  inch  and  three  quarters  to  two 
inches  to  the  end  of  the  wing-covers.  It  is  pale  green,  with 


164  ORTHOPTERA. 

the  head  whitish,  or  only  faintly  tinted  with  green,  and  the 
legs  and  abdomen  are  pale  brownish-green.     A  little  tooth 


Fig.  79, 


projects  downwards  from  the  under  side  of  the  conical  part 
of  the  head,  which  extends  between  the  antennae,  and  imme- 
diately before  this  little  tooth  is  a  black  line  bent  backwards 
on  each  side  like  the  letter  U.  The  hindmost  thighs  have 
five  or  six  exceedingly  minute  spines  on  the  inner  ridge  of 
the  under  side.  The  shrilling  organ  of  the  male  on  the  left 
wing-cover  is  green  and  opaque,  but  that  on  the  right  has 
a  space  in  the  middle  that  is  transparent  like  glass.  The 
piercer  of  the  female  is  above  an  inch  long,  very  slightly 
bent  near  the  body,  and  is  perfectly  straight  from  thence  to 
the  tip,  which  ends  in  a  point.  The  color  of  this  grasshop- 
per is  veiy  apt  to  change  after  death  to  a  dirty  brown.  It 
comes  very  near  to  the  dissimilis  described  by  M.  Serville, 
but  appears  to  be  a  different  species.* 

*  In  the  collection  belonging  to  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  there  is 
an  insect  which  I  suppose  to  be  the  Conocephalus  dissimilis  of  Serville.  It  was 
taken  in  North  Carolina  by  Professor  Hentz.  The  conical  projection  of  the  head 
is  shorter  and  more  obtuse  than  in  the  ensiger,  the  sides  of  the  thorax  are  brown- 
lull,  the  hindmost  thighs  have  a  double  row  of  black  dots  on  the  under  side,  and 
the  spines  on  this  part  are  more  numerous  and  rather  larger.  Professor  Hentz  has 
sent  to  me  from  Alabama  another  species  distinct  from  both  of  these,  about  the 
MUM  In  length,  but  considerably  broader.  The  conical  part  of  the  head  between 
the  eyes  is  broader,  flattened  above,  and,  as  well  as  the  thorax,  rough  like  shagreen. 
There  is  a  projecting  tubercle  beneath,  but  the  curved  black  line  is  wanting,  and 
the  tip  of  the  cone  has  a  minute  point  abruptly  bent  downwards,  and  forming  a 
hook.  The  sides  of  the  thorax  are  bent  down  suddenly  so  as  to  make  an  angular 
ridge  on  each  side  of  the  middle.  The  wing-covers  are  dotted  with  black  around 
their  edges,  and  have  also  an  irregular  row  of  larger  and  more  distinct  spots  along 


THE    LOCUSTS.  165 

3.  LOCUSTS.    (Locustadce.') 

The  various  insects  included  under  the  name  of  locusts 
nearly  all  agree  in  having  their  whig-covers  rather  long  and 
narrow,  and  placed  obliquely  along  the  sides  of  the  body, 
meeting,  and  even  overlapping  for  a  short  distance,  at  their 
upper  edges,  which  together  form  a  ridge  on  the  back  like  a 
sloping  roof.  Their  antennae  are  much  shorter  than  those  of 
most  grasshoppers,  and  do  not  taper  towards  the  end,  but  are 
nearly  of  equal  thickness  at  both  extremities.  Their  feet 
have  really  only  three  joints ;  but  as  the  under  side  of  the 
first  joint  is  marked  by  one  or  two  cross  lines,  the  feet,  when 
seen  only  from  below,  seem  to  be  four  or  five  jointed.  The 
females  have  not  a  long  projecting  piercer,  like  the  crickets 
and  grasshoppers,  but  the  extremity  of  their  body  is  provided 
with  four  short,  wedge-like  pieces,  placed  in  pairs  above  and 
below,  and  opening  and  shutting  opposite  to  each  other,  thus 
forming  an  instrument  like  a  pair  of  nippers,  only  with  four 
short  blades  instead  of  two.  When  one  of  these  insects  is 
about  to  lay  her  eggs,  she  drives  these  little  wedges  into  the 
earth  ;  these,  being  then  opened  and  withdrawn,  enlarge  the 
orifice  ;  upon  which  the  insect  inserts  them  again,  and  drives 
them  down  deeper  than  before,  and  repeats  the  operation 
above  described  until  she  has  formed  a  perforation  large  and 
deep  enough  to  admit  nearly  the  whole  of  her  abdomen. 

The  males,  though  capable  of  producing  sounds,  have  not 
the  cymbals  and  tabors  of  the  crickets  and  grasshoppers ; 
their  instruments  may  rather  be  likened  to  violins,  their  hind 
legs  being  the  bows,  and  the  projecting  veins  of  their  wing- 
covers  the  strings.  But  besides  these,  they  have  on  each 
side  of  the  body,  in  the  first  segment  of  the  abdomen,  just 
above  and  a  little  behind  the  thighs,  a  deep  cavity,  closed  by 
a  thin  piece  of  skin  stretched  tightly  across  it.  These  proba- 

the  middle.  The  hindmost  thighs  have  a  double  row  of  strong  spines  beneath,  and 
the  piercer  is  straight  and  only  about  six  tenths  of  an  inch  long.  This  insect  may 
be  called  Conocephalus  uncinatus,  from  the  hook  on  the  tip  of  the  head. 


166  ORTHOPTERA. 

bly  act  in  some  measure  to  increase  the  reverberation  of  the 
sound,  like  the  cavity  of  a  violin.  When  a  locust  begins  to 
play,  he  bends  the  shank  of  one  hind  leg  beneath  the  thigh, 
where  it  is  lodged  in  a  furrow  designed  to  receive  it,  and 
then  draws  the  leg  briskly  up  and  down  several  times  against 
the  projecting  lateral  edge  and  veins  of  the  wing-cover. 
He  does  not  play  both  fiddles  together,  but  alternately,  for  a 
little  time,  first  upon  one,  and  then  on  the  other,  standing 
meanwhile  upon  the  four  anterior  legs  and  the  hind  leg 
which  is  not  otherwise  employed.  It  is  stated  that,  in  Spain, 
people  of  fashion  keep  these  insects,  which  they  call  grillo,  in 
cages,  for  the  sake  of  their  music. 

Locusts  leap  much  better  than  grasshoppers,  for  the  thighs 
of  their  hind  legs,  though  shorter,  are  much  thicker,  and 
consequently  more  muscular  within.  The  back  part  of  the 
shanks  of  these  legs,  from  a  little  below  the  knee  to  the  end, 
is  armed  with  strong  sharp  spines,  arranged  in  two  rows. 
These  may  serve  as  means  of  defence,  but  the  lower  ones  also 
help  to  fix  the  legs  firmly  against  the  ground  when  the  insect 
is  going  to  leap.  The  power  of  flight  in  locusts  is,  in  general, 
much  greater  than  that  of  grasshoppers  ;  for  the  wing-covers, 
being  narrow,  do  not,  like  the  much  wider  ones  of  grass- 
hoppers, so  much  impede  their  passage  through  the  air ;  while 
their  wings,  which  are  ample,  except  in  a  few  species,  and 
when  expanded  together  form  half  of  a  circle,  have  very 
strong  joints,  and  are  moved  by  very  powerful  muscles  within 
the  chest.  From  the  shoulders  of  the  wings  several  stout  ribs 
or  veins  pass  towards  the  hinder  margin,  spreading  apart, 
when  the  wings  are  opened,  like  the  sticks  of  a  fan,  and  are 
connected  and  strengthened  by  little  crossing  veins,  which 
form  a  kind  of  network.  The  same  structure  exists  in  the 
wings  of  grasshoppers,  but  in  them  the  longitudinal  ribs  are 
not  so  strong,  and  the  network  is  much  more  delicate.  Hence 
the  flight  of  grasshoppers  is  short  and  unsteady,  while  that  of 
locusts  is  longer  and  better  sustained.  Many  locusts,  when 
they  fly,  make  a  loud  whizzing  noise,  the  source  of  which  does 


THE    LOCUSTS.  167 

not  seem  to  be  understood.  Those  of  our  native  locusts,  whose 
flight  is  the  most  noisy,  are  the  coral-winged,  the  yellow- 
winged,  and  the  broad-winged  species.  But  as  these  are 
comparatively  small  insects,  and  never  assemble  in  such  great 
swarms  as  the  much  larger  migrating  locusts  of  Asia  and 
Africa,  the  noise  of  their  flight  bears  no  comparison  to  that 
of  the  latter.  When  a  large  number  of  these  take  flight 
together,  it  is  said  that  the  noise  is  like  the  rushing  of  a 
whirlwind ;  and  hence  we  read,  of  the  symbolical  locusts 
of  the  Apocalypse,  that  the  sound  of  their  wings  was  as 
the  sound  of  chariots  of  many  horses  running  to  battle ;  * 
and  of  others,  that  their  coming  is  like  the  noise  of  chariots 
on  the  tops  of  mountains,  or  the  Crackling  of  stubble  when 
overrun  and  consumed  by  a  flame  of  fire.f 

The  East  seems  to  have  suffered  severely  at  various  times 
from  the  irruptions  of  immense  swarms  of  locusts,  darkening 
the  sky  during  their  passage,  stripping  the  surface  of  the 
earth,  where  they  alight,  of  all  vestiges  of  vegetation,  and 
thus  reducing,  in  an  inconceivably  short  time,  the  most  fertile 
regions  to  barren  wastes.  The  ground  over  which  they  have 
passed  presents  the  appearance  of  having  been  scorched  by 
fire ;  and  hence  the  name  of  locust,  which  is  derived  from  the 
Latin,  J  and  means  a  burnt  place,  is  highly  expressive  of  the 
desolation  occasioned  by  their  ravages.  Famine  and  pesti- 
lence have  sometimes  followed  their  appearance,  as  we  find 
recorded  by  various  writers.  In  the  Scriptures  §  frequent 
mention  is  made  of  the  destructive  powers  of  locusts,  and 
these  accounts  are  fully  confirmed  by  the  testimony  of  numer- 
ous travellers  in  Asia  and  Africa,  some  of  whom  have  been 
eyewitnesses  of  the  devastations  of  these  insects.  Among 

*  Revelation  ix.  9.  t  Joel  ii.  5. 

f  Locus  and  using. 

§  For  an  explanation  of  the  various  passages  in  which  allusion  is  made  to  lo- 
custs, and  for  much  interesting  matter  relating  to  the  history  of  these  insects,  as 
contained  in  the  Bible  and  elucidated  by  the  accounts  of  historians  and  travellers, 
the  reader  is  referred  to  the  article  Locust  in  the  learned  and  instructive  work  of 
my  father,  entitled,  "  The  Natural  History  of  the  Bible,  by  Thaddeus  Mason  Har- 
ris," 8vo,  Boston,  1820. 


ORTHOPTERA. 

the  later  accounts,  that  contained  in  Olivier's  "  Travels  " 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  quoted  by  English  writers.  The 
following  is  a  free  translation  of  the  passage.  Olivier,  at  the 
time  of  writing  it,  was  in  Syria.  "  After  a  burning  south 
wind  had  prevailed  for  some  time,  there  came,  from  the 
interior  of  Arabia  and  from  the  southern  parts  of  Persia, 
clouds  of  locusts,  whose  ravages  in  these  countries  are  as 
grievous  and  as  sudden  as  the  destruction  occasioned  in 
Europe  by  the  most  severe  hail-storm.  Of  these  my  com- 
panion, M.  Brugieres,  and  myself  were  twice  witnesses.  It 
is  difficult  to  describe  the  effect  produced  on  us  by  the  sight 
of  the  whole  atmosphere  filled,  on  all  sides,  to  a  vast  height, 
with  a  countless  multitude  of  these  insects,  which  flew  along 
with  a  slow  and  even  motion,  and  with  a  noise  like  the  dash- 
ing of  a  shower  of  rain.  The  heavens  were  darkened  by 
them,  and  the  light  of  the  sun  was  sensibly  diminished.  In 
a  moment  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  the  streets,  and  air  the 
fields  were  completely  covered  with  these  insects,  and  in  two 
days  they  almost  entirely  devoured  the  foliage  of  every  plant. 
Fortunately,  however,  they  continued  but  a  short  time,  and 
seemed  to  have  emigrated  only  for  the  purpose  of  providing 
for  a  continuation  of  their  kind.  In  fact,  nearly  all  of  them 
wliich  we  saw  on  the  next  day  were  paired,  and  in  a  day  or 
two  afterwards  the  ground  was  covered  with  their  dead 
bodies." '  These  were  not  the  still  more  celebrated  and 
destructive  migratory  locusts  (Locusta  migratoria),  but  con- 
sisted of  the  species  called  Acrydiam  peregrinum. 

Although  the  ravages  of  locusts  in  America  are  not  fol- 
lowed by  such  serious  consequences  as  in  the  Eastern  con- 
tinent, yet  they  are  sufficiently  formidable  to  have  attracted 
attention,  and  not  unfrequently  have  these  insects  laid  waste 
considerable  tracts,  and  occasioned  no  little  loss  to  the  cul- 
tivator of  the  soil.  Our  salt-marshes,  which  are  accounted 
among  the  most  productive  and  valuable  of  our  natural 
meadows,  are  frequented  by  great  numbers  of  the  small  red- 

•  Olivier,  Voyage  dans  1'Empire  Ottoman,  1'Egypte  et  la  Perse,  Tom.  II.  p.  424. 


THE    RED-LEGGED    LOCUSTS.  169 

legged  species  (Acrydium  femur-rubrum),  (Fig.  80,  p.  174,) 
intermingled  occasionally  with  some  larger  kinds.  These, 
in  certain  seasons,  almost  entirely  consume  the  grass  of  these 
marshes,  from  whence  they  then  take  their  course  to  the  up- 
lands, devouring,  hi  their  way,  grass,  corn,  and  vegetables, 
till  checked  hy  the  early  frosts,  or  by  the  close  of  the  nat- 
ural term  of  their  existence.  When  a  scanty  crop  of  hay 
has  been  gathered  from  the  grounds  which  these  puny  pests 
have  ravaged,  it  becomes  so  tainted  with  the  putrescent 
bodies  of  the  dead  locusts  contained  in  it,  that  it  is  rejected 
by  horses  and  cattle.  In  this  country  locusts  are  not  dis- 
tinguished from  grasshoppers,  and  are  generally,  though  in- 
correctly, comprehended  under  the  same  name,  or  under  that 
of  flying  grasshoppers.  They  are,  however,  if  we  make 
allowance  for  their  inferior  size,  quite  as  voracious  and  in- 
jurious to  vegetation  during  the  young  or  larva  and  pupa 
states,  when  they  are  not  provided  with  wings,  as  they  are 
when  fully  grown.  In  our  newspapers  I  have  sometimes 
seen  accounts  of  the  devastations  of  grasshoppers,  which 
could  only  be  applicable  to  some  of  our  locusts. 

At  various  tunes  they  have  appeared  in  great  abundance 
in  different  parts  of  New  England.  It  is  stated  that,  in 
Maine,  "during  dry  seasons,  they  often  appear  in  great  mul- 
titudes, and  are  the  greedy  destroyers  of  the  half-parched 
herbage."  "  In  1749  and  1754  they  were  very  numerous 
and  voracious ;  no  vegetables  escaped  these  greedy  troops ; 
they  even  devoured  the  potato  tops  ;  and  in  1743  and  1756 
they  covered  the  whole  country  and  threatened  to  devour 
everything  green.  Indeed,  so  great  was  the  alarm  they  oc- 
casioned among  the  people,  that  days  of  fasting  and  prayer 
were  appointed,"  *  on  account  of  the  threatened  calamity. 
The  southern  and  western  parts  of  New  Hampshire,  the 
northern  and  eastern  parts  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  south- 
ern part  of  Vermont,  have  been  overrun  by  swarms  of  these 

*  See  Williamson's  History  of  Maine,  Vol.  I.  pp.  102,  103,  and  compare  with 
p.  172  of  the  same  work. 

22 


170  ORTHOPTERA. 

miscalled  grasshoppers,  and  have  suffered  more  or  less  from 
their  depredations. 

Among  the  various  accounts  which  I  have  seen,  the  follow- 

O 

ing,  extracted  from  the  Travels  of  the  late  President  Dwight,* 
seems  to  be  the  most  full  and  circumstantial.  "  Bennington 
(Vermont),  and  its  neighborhood,  have  for  some  time  past 
been  infested  by  grasshoppers  (locusts)  of  a  kind  with  which 
I  had  before  been  wholly  unacquainted.  At  least,  their  his- 
tory, as  given  by  respectable  persons,  is  in  a  great  measure 
novel.  They  appear  at  different  periods,  in  different  years  ; 
but  the  time  of  their  continuance  seems  to  be  the  same. 
This  year  (1798)  they  came  four  weeks  earlier  than  in  1797, 
and  disappeared  four  weeks  sooner.  As  I  had  no  opportunity 
of  examining  them,  I  cannot  describe  their  form  or  their  size. 
Their  favorite  food  is  clover  and  maize.  Of  the  latter  they 
devour  the  part  which  is  called  the  silk,  the  immediate  means 
of  fecundating  the  ear,  and  thus  prevent  the  kernel  from 
coming  to  perfection.  But  their  voracity  extends  to  almost 
every  vegetable ;  even  to  the  tobacco  plant  and  the  burdock. 
Nor  are  they  confined  to  vegetables  alone.  The  garments  of 
laborers,  hung  up  in  the  field  while  they  are  at  work,  these 
insects  destroy  in  a  few  hours ;  and  with  the  same  voracity 
they  devour  the  loose  particles  which  the  saw  leaves  upon 
the  surface  of  pine  boards,  and  which,  when  separated,  are 
termed  sawdust.  The  appearance  of  a  board  fence,  from 
which  the  particles  had  been  eaten  in  this  manner,  and  which 
I  saw,  was  novel  and  singular;  and  seemed  the  result,  not 
of  the  operations  of  the  plane,  but  of  attrition.  At  times, 
particularly  a  little  before  their  disappearance,  they  collect 
in  clouds,  rise  high  in  the  atmosphere,  and  take  extensive 
flights,  of  which  neither  the  cause  nor  the  direction  has 
hitherto  been  discovered.  I  was  authentically  informed  that 
some  persons,  employed  in  raising  the  steeple  of  the  church 
in  Williamstown,  were,  while  standing  near  the  vane,  cov- 
ered by  them,  and  saw,  at  the  same  time,  vast  swarms  of 

•  Travels  in  New  England  and  New  York,  by  Timothy  Dwight,  Vol.  II.  p.  403. 


THE    LOCUSTS    OF    MASSACHUSETTS.  171 

them  flying  far  above  their  heads.  It  is  to  be  observed, 
however,  that  they  customarily  return,  and  perish  on  the 
very  grounds  which  they  have  ravaged."  Through  the  kind- 
ness of  the  Rev.  L.  W.  Leonard,  of  Dublin,  New  Hampshire, 
I  have  been  favored  with  specimens  of  the  destructive  locusts 
which  occasionally  appear  in  that  part  of  New  England,  and 
which,  most  probably,  are  of  the  same  species  as  the  insects 
mentioned  by  President  D wight.  They  prove  to  be  the  little 
red-legged  locusts,  whose  ravages  on  our  salt-marshes  I  have 
already  recorded. 

In  the  summer  of  1838,  the  vicinity  of  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land, was  infested  by  insects  of  this  kind  ;  and  I  was  in- 
formed by  a  young  gentleman  from  that  place,  then  a  student 
in  Harvard  College,  that  they  were  so  thick  and  destructive 
in  the  garden  and  grounds  of  his  father,  that  the  negroes 
were  employed  to  drive  them  from  the  garden  with  rods ; 
and  in  this  way  they  were  repeatedly  whipped  out  of  the 
grounds,  leaping  and  flying  before  the  extended  line  of  cas- 
tigators  like  a  flock  of  fowls.  Some  of  these  insects  were 
brought  to  me  by  the  same  gentleman,  on  his  return  to  the 
University,  at  the  end  of  the  summer  vacation,  and  they 
turned  out  to  be  specimens  of  the  red-legged  locusts  already 
mentioned. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  these  are  the  only  depreda- 
tory locusts  in  this  country.  Massachusetts  alone  produces 
a  large  number  of  species,  some  of  which  have  never  been 
described ;  and  the  habits  of  many  of  them  have  not  been 
fully  investigated.  The  difficulty  which  I  have  met  with  in 
ascertaining,  from  mere  verbal  reports,  or  from  the  accounts 
that  occasionally  appear  in  our  public  prints,  the  scientific 
names  of  the  noxious  insects  which  are  the  subjects  of  such 
remarks,  and  the  impossibility,  without  this  knowledge  of 
their  names,  of  fixing  upon  the  true  culprits,  has  induced 
me  to  draw  up,  in  this  treatise,  brief  descriptions  of  all  our 
locusts,  as  a  guide  to  other  persons  in  their  investigations. 

All  the  locusts  of  Massachusetts  that  are  known  to  me 


172  ORTHOPTERA-. 

may  be  included  in  three  large  groups  or  genera ;  viz.  Acry- 
dium  (of  Geoffroy  and  Latreille),  Locusta  ( G-ryllus  Locmta 
of  Linna3us),  and  Tetrix  (of  Latreille).  These  three  genera 
may  be  distinguished  from  each  other  by  the  following 
characters.* 

1.  Acrydium.     The  thorax  (prothorax  of  Kirby)  and  the 
wing-covers  of  ordinary  dimensions  ;   a  projecting  spine  in 
the   middle  of  the  breast ;   and  a  little  projecting   cushion 
between  the  nails  of  all  the  feet. 

2.  Locusta.    The  thorax,  and  usually  the  wing-covers  also, 
of  ordinary  dimensions  ;  no  projecting  spine  in  the  middle  of 
the  breast ;  cushions  between  the  nails  of  the  feet. 

3.  Tetrix.      The   thorax    (prothoraai)    greatly   prolonged, 
tapering  to  a  point  behind,  and  covering  the  whole  of  the 
back  to  the  extremity  of  the  abdomen ;  wing-covers  exceed- 
ingly minute,  consisting  only  of  a  little  scale  on  each  side  of 
the  body ;  fore  part  of  the  breast  forming  a  projection,  like  a 
cravat  or  stock,  to  receive  the  lower  part  of  the  head ;  no 
spine  in  the  middle  of  the  breast ;  no  cushions  between  the 
nails. 

*  I  have  not  considered  it  necessary  to  give,  in  addition  to  these,  the  characters 
that  distinguish  them  from  the  other  genera  of  American  locusts,  which  are  not 
found  in  Massachusetts,  but  add  the  characteristics  of  these  genera  in  this  note. 

Opsomala.  Body  slender  and  cylindrical;  head  long  and  conical,  extending 
with  an  obtuse  point  between  the  antennae;  eyes  oblong  oval  and  oblique;  anten- 
nas short,  flattened,  and  more  or  less  enlarged  toward  the  base,  and  tapering 
toward  the  point ;  a  pointed  tubercle  between  the  fore  legs  on  the  breast ;  wing- 
covers  narrow  and  pointed ;  face  sloping  down  toward  the  breast,  and  forming  an 
acute  angle  with  the  top  of  the  head. 

Trvxalis.  Body  rather  thicker;  head  shorter,  but  ending  in  a  blunt  cone  be- 
tween the  antennae;  eyes  oval  and  oblique;  antennae  short,  flattened,  enlarged 
near  the  base,  and  tapering  to  a  point;  no  tubercle  between  the  fore  legs;  wing- 
covers  wider  and  not  so  pointed ;  face  sloping  toward  the  breast,  and  forming  an 
angle  of  forty-five  degrees  with  the  top  of  the  head;  thorax  flat  above,  and  marked 
with  three  longitudinal  elevated  lines. 

Xiphicera.  Robust;  head  not  conical,  but  with  a  projection  between  the  an- 
tennas ;  face  vertical ;  antennae  rather  short,  flattened  more  or  less,  and  tapering  at 
the  end;  a  spine  between  the  fore  legs  on  the  breast;  wing-covers  about  as  long  as 
the  abdomen,  obtuse  or  notched  at  the  end;  thorax  with  three  elevated  crested 
lines,  which  are  frequently  notched. 

Jtomaka.  Very  thick  and  short;  head  obtuse;  face  vertical;  antennae  short,  of 
equal  thickness  to  the  end,  seventeen  or  eighteen  jointed;  thorax  with  a  some- 


THE    SPINE-BREASTED    LOCUSTS.  173 

I.   ACRYDIUM.     Spine-breasted  Locusts. 

This  word,  which  is  nearly  the  same  as  one  of  the  Greek 
names  of  a  locust,  has  been  variously  applied  by  different 
entomologists.  I  have  followed  Latreille  and  Serville  in  con- 
fining it  to  those  locusts  which  have  a  projecting  spine  or 
tubercle  in  the  middle  of  the  fore  part  of  the  breast  between 
the  fore  legs.  To  this  genus  belong  the  following  native 
species. 

1.  Acrydium  alutaceum.     Leather-colored  Locust. 

Dirty  brownish  yellow;  a  paler  yellow  stripe  on  the  top 
of  the  head  and  thorax ;  a  slightly  elevated  longitudinal  line 
on  the  top  of  the  thorax ;  wing-covers  semi-transparent,  with 
irregular  brownish  spots  ;  wings  transparent,  uncolored,  netted 
with  dirty  yellow ;  abdomen  with  transverse  rows  of  minute 
blackish  dots ;  hindmost  thighs  whitish  within  and  without, 
the  white  portion  bounded  by  a  row  of  minute  distant  black 
dots,  and  crossed,  herring-bone  fashion,  by  numerous  brown 
lines ;  hindmost  shanks  reddish,  with  yellowish-white  spines, 
which  are  tipped  with  black.  Length,  to  the  end  of  the  ab- 
domen, If  inch ;  the  wing-covers  expand  over  3  inches. 

This  insect  was  brought  to  me,  from  Martha's  Vineyard, 
by  Mr.  Robert  Treat  Paine.  It  bears  a  close  resemblance  in 
form  to  Acrydium  Americanum  of  De  Geer,8  a  much  larger 
and  more  showy  Southern  species. 

2.  Acrydium  flavo-vittaium?    Yellow-striped  Locust. 

Dull  green  or  olive-colored,  with  a  yellowish  line  on  each 
side  from  the  forehead  to  the  tips  of  the  wing-covers ;  hind- 

what  elevated  crest;  a  spine  between  the  fore  legs  on  the  breast;  wing-covers  and* 
•wings  much  shorter  than  the  abdomen. 

The  first  two  of  these  genera  seem  to  connect  the  cone-headed  grasshoppers  with 
the  locust  family,  while  the  last  two  approach  nearer  to  the  genus  Aa-ydium; 
many  foreign  genera,  however,  are  interposed  between  them. 

[ 8  This  reference  to  De  Geer  is  incorrect,  no  such,  species  being  found  in  his 
works;  it  may  refer  to  Drury.  Illustrations  I.  pi.  49,  f.  2.  — UHLEK.] 

[9  This  insect  was  previously  described  by  Say,  who  calls  it  A.  bivittatus. 
The  difference  between  the  species,  as  found  in  New  England  and  that  of  the 


174  OBTHOPTERA. 

most  shanks  and  feet  blood-red,  the  spines  tipped  with  black  ; 
wings  transparent,  faintly  tinged  with  pale  green,  and  netted 
with  greenish-brown  lines.  The  abdomen  of  the  male  is 
very  obtuse  and  curves  upwards  at  the  end,  and  is  furnished, 
on  each  side  of  the  tip,  with  a  rather  large  oblong  square 
appendage,  which  has  a  little  projecting  angle  in  the  middle 
of  the  lower  side.  Length,  to  tip  of  the  abdomen,  from  1 
inch  to  1-J;  expands  from  l£  inch  to  2  inches. 

This  and  the  following  species  probably  belong  to  the 
subgenus  Oxya  of  Serville.  The  yellow-striped  locust  is 
one  of  our  most  common  insects.  It  is  readily  known  by  its 
color,  and  by  the  two  yellowish  lines  on  the  thorax,  extend- 
ing, when  the  insect  acquires  wings,  along  the  inner  margin 
of  the  wing-covers.  It  is  very  troublesome  in  gardens, 
climbing  upon  the  stems  of  beans,  peas,  and  flowers,  devour- 
ing the  leaves  and  petals,  and  defiling  them  with  its  excre- 
ment. The  young  begin  to  appear  in  June,  and  they  come 
to  their  growth  and  acquire  their  wings  by  the  first  of  Au- 
gust. When  about  to  moult,  like  other  locusts,  they  cling 
to  the  stem  of  some  plant,  till  the  skin  bursts  and  the  insect 
withdraws  its  body  and  legs  from  it,  and  leaves  the  cast-skin 
still  fastened  to  the  plant. 

8.  Acrydium  femur-rubrum.10     Red-legged  Locust.     (Fig.  80.) 

Grizzled  with  dirty  olive  and  brown  ;  a  black  spot  extend- 
ing from  the  eyes  along  the  sides 
of  the  thorax ;  an  oblique  yellow 
line  on  each  side  of  the  body  be- 
neath the  wings ;  a  row  of  dusky 
brown  spots  along  the  middle  of 
the  wing-covers  ;  and  the  hindmost 
shanks  and  feet  blood-red,  with  black  spines.  The  wings 

rn  sections  of  the  Union,  consists  only  in  the  color  of  the  legs  and  greater 
•li-|.th  of  tint  upon  the  thorax,  &c.    In  the  latter,  the  synonymy  stands  as  follows: 
A.  ( Caloptemu)  bicittatut,  Say  =  A.  (  Caloptenus)  femoratue,  Burm.  =  A.  Milberti, 
Serv.  =  A.faro-citttttum.  Harris.  —  UIILER.] 
I  »•  This  is  also  a  Caloptenut.  —  UHLEK.] 


THE  LOCUSTS  PROPEK.  175 

are  transparent,  with  a  very  pale  greenish-yellow  tint  next 
to  the  body,  and  are  netted  with  brown  lines.  The  hind- 
most thighs  have  two  large  spots,  on  the  upper  side,  and  the 
extremity,  black ;  but  are  red  below,  and  yellow  on  the  in- 
side. The  appendages  at  the  tip  of  the  body  in  the  male 
are  of  a  long  triangular  form.  Length  from  f  inch  to  1 
inch ;  exp.  1J  to  If  inch. 

The  red-legged  locust  was  first  described  by  De  Geer  from 
specimens  sent  to  him  from  Pennsylvania,  and  I  have  re- 
tained the  scientific  name  which  he  gave  to  it.  It  is  the 
Grryllus  (Locusta)  eryihropus  of  Gmelin,  and  the  Acrydium 
femorale  of  Olivier.  It  appears  to  be  very  generally  diffused 
throughout  the  United  States,  and  sometimes  so  greatly 
abounds  in  certain  places  as  to  be  productive  of  great  injury 
to  vegetation.  I  have  already  described  its  prevalence  on 
our  salt-marshes ;  and  it  seems  to  constitute  those  large  mi- 
grating swarms  whose  flight  has  been  observed  and  recorded 
in  various  parts  of  this  country.  It  comes  to  maturity  with 
us  by  the  latter  part  of  July ;  some  broods,  however,  a  little 
earlier,  and  others  later.  It  is  most  plentiful  and  destructive 
during  the  months  of  August  and  September,  and  does  not 
disappear  till  some  time  in  October. 

II.    LoCUSTA.     Locusts  Proper. 

With  the  English  entomologists,  I  apply  the  name  Locusta 
to  that  genus  which  includes  the  celebrated  migrating  locust, 
or  Grryllus  Locusta  migratoria  of  Linnaeus.  By  the  older 
French  entomologists  the  insects  contained  in  it  were  united 
to  the  genus  Acrydium ;  but  Latreille  afterwards  separated 
them  from  Acrydium  under  the  generical  name  of  (Edipoda. 
(which  means  swelled  leg),  and  he  is  followed  in  this  by 
Serville,  the  latest  writer  on  the  Orthoptera.  In  the  in- 
sects of  this  genus  the  breast  is  not  armed  with  a  blunt 
spine  or  tubercle,  a  character  which  distinguishes  the  genus 
Acrydium  from  it.  In  other  respects  these  two  genera  are 
much  alike. 


176  ORTHOPTERA. 

1.  Locusta  Carolina* u     Carolina  Locust.     (Plate  III.  Fig.  3.) 

Pale  yellowish  brown,  with  small  dusky  spots ;  wings 
black,  with  a  broad  yellow  hind  margin,  which  is  covered 
with  dusky  spots  at  the  tip.  Length  from  1  to  1£  inch ;  exp. 
2f  to  above  3£  inches. 

A  more  detailed  description  of  this  large,  common,  and 
well-known  species  is  unnecessary.  The  Carolina  locust  is 
found  in  abundance  by  the  road-side,  from  the  middle  to  the 
end  of  summer.  It  generally  makes  use  of  its  large  and 
handsome  wings  in  moving  from  place  to  place.  It  is  fre- 
quently found  in  company  with  the  red-legged  locust  in  the 
vicinity  of  salt-marshes,  but  it  generally  prefers  warm  and 
dry  situations.  Pairing  takes  place  with  this  species  in  the 
months  of  September  and  October,  immediately  after  which 
the  female  prepares  to  lay  her  eggs.  These  are  deposited  at 
the  bottom  of  a  cylindrical  hole  in  the  ground,  made  in  the 
manner  already  described,  and  are  not  hatched  till  the  fol- 
lowing spring.  The  abdomen  of  the  female  admits  of  being 
greatly  extended  in  length ;  hence  she  frequently  deposits 
her  eggs  at  the  depth  of  nearly  two  inches  beneath  the  sur- 
face of  the  soil. 

2.  Locusta  corallina.     Coral-winged  Locust. 

Light  brown  ;  spotted  with  dark  brown  on  the  wing-cov- 
ers;  wings  light  vermilion  or  coral-red,  with  an  external 
dusky  border,  which  is  wide  and  paler  at  the  tip,  narrowed 
and  darker  behind;  hind  shanks  yellow  with  black-tipped 
spines.  Length  1  to  1 J  inch ;  exp.  2J  to  2&  inches. 

This  species  closely  resembles  the  Acridium  tuberculatum 
of  Palisot  de  Beauvois,  winch  seems  to  be  the  (Edipoda  dis- 
coidea  of  Serville,  found  in  the  Southern  States,  of  a  much 
larger  size  than  the  coral-winged  locust,  and  having  the 
wings  of  a  much  deeper  and  duller  red  color,  and  the  black- 

•  Grylltu  Loctuta  CaroUnut,  Linnseus. 

I "  L.  Carolina  roust  be  referred  to  (Edipoda.  —  UHLER.] 


THE    YELLOW-WINGED    LOCUST.  177 

ish  border  not  so  much  narrowed  behind.  It  cannot  be 
mistaken  for  the  fenestralis,  which  M.  Serville  describes  as 
having  the  antenna  nearly  as  long  as  the  body,  whereas  in 
this  species  they  are  not  half  that  length.  The  coral-winged 
locust  is  the  first  that  makes  its  appearance  with  wings  in  the 
spring,  being  found  flying  about  in  warm  and  dry  pastures 
as  early  as  the  middle  of  April  or  the  first  of  May,  and  is 
rendered  very  conspicuous  by  its  bright-colored  wings,  and 
the  loud  noise  which  it  makes  in  flying.  It  probably  passes 
the  winter  in  the  pupa  state,  and  undergoes  its  last  transfor- 
mation in  the  spring ;  but  its  history  is  not  yet  fully  known 
to  me,  and  this  opinion  is  the  result  only  of  conjecture. 

3.  Locusta  sulphured.12     Yellow-winged  Locust.    (Plate  I.  Fig.  6.) 

Dusky  brown  ;  thorax  slightly  keeled  in  the  middle ;  wing- 
covers  ash-colored  at  their  extremities,  more  or  less  distinctly 
spotted  with  brown ;  wings  deep  yellow  next  to  the  body, 
dusky  at  tip,  the  yellow  portion  bounded  beyond  the  middle 
by  a  broad  dusky  brown  band,  which  curves  and  is  prolonged 
on  the  hind  margin,  but  does  not  reach  the  angle  next  to  the 
extremity  of  the  body ;  hindmost  thighs  blackish  at  the  end, 
and  with  two  black  and  two  whitish  bands  on  the  inside ; 
hindmost  shanks  and  their  spines  black,  with  a  broad  whitish 
ring  just  below  the  knees.  Length  T8ff  to  l£  inch  ;  exp.  If  to 
2£  inches. 

This  insect  agrees  tolerably  well  with  the  brief  description 
given  by  Fabricius  of  his  Grryllus  sulphureus,  except  that  the 
wings  are  not  sulphur-yellow,  but  of  a  deeper  tint.  It  is  also 
described  and  figured  by  Palisot  de  Beauvois  under  the  name 
of  Acridium  sulphureum.  It  is  a  rare  species  in  this  vicinity. 
I  have  taken  it,  though  sparingly,  in  its  perfect  state,  in  May 
and  in  September.  The  elevated  ridge  on  the  top  of  the 
thorax  is  higher  than  in  any  other  species  found  in  Massachu- 
setts. 

[  12  L.  sulphured  must  be  referred  to  (Edipoda.  —  UHLER.] 
23 


178  ORTHOPTERA. 

4.  Locusta  Maritima.13     Maritime  Locust. 

Ash-gray ;  face  variegated  with  white  ;  wing-covers  sprin- 
kled with  minute  brownish  spots,  and  semi-transparent  at  tip ; 
wings  transparent,  faintly  tinted  with  yellow  next  the  body, 
uncolored  at  tip,  with  a  series  of  irregular  blackish  spots 
forming  a  curved  band  across  the  middle ;  hindmost  shanks 
and  feet  pale  yellow,  with  the  extreme  points  of  the  spines 
black.  Length  $  to  1^  inch ;  exp.  liV  inch  to  2f  inches. 

Tliis  species  comes  very  near  to  Mr.  Kirby's  description 
of  the  Locusta  leuco&toma ;  but  is  evidently  distinct  from  it, 
and  does  not  appear  to  have  been  described  before.  I  have 
received  it  from  Sandwich,  and  have  found  it  in  great  abun- 
dance among  the  coarse  grass  which  grows  near  the  edges 
of  our  sandy  beaches,  but  have  never  seen  it  except  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  sea.  It  comes  to  maturity  and  lays 
its  eggs  about  the  middle  of  August  or  a  little  later. 

5.  Locusta  tzqualis.1*     Barren-ground  Locust. 

Ash-gray,  mottled  with  dusky  brown  and  white ;  wing- 
covers  semi-transparent  at  tip,  with  numerous  dusky  spots 
which  run  together  so  as  to  form  three  transverse  bands ; 
wings  light  yellow  on  their  basal  half,  transparent  with 
dusky  veins  and  a  few  spots  at  the  tip,  with  an  intermediate 
broad  black  band,  which,  curving  and  becoming  narrower 
on  the  hind  margin,  is  continued  to  the  inner  angle  of  the 
wing ;  hindmost  shanks  coral-red,  with  a  broad  white  ring 
below  the  knees,  and  the  spines  tipped  with  black.  Length 
1±  inch  ;  exp.  2£  inches. 

Mr.  Say,  to  whom  I  sent  a  specimen  of  this  handsome 
locust,  informed  me  that  it  was  his  Grryllm  equalis,  probably 
intended  for  cequalis.  It  is  found,  during  the  months  of  July 

[ «  /,.  mnridmn  must  be  referred  to  (Edipoda.  —  UHLER.] 

[ 14  L.  aqualit  and  Inlipenmt  are  merely  to  be  separated  as  races  of  one  species, 
and  cannot  remain  as  separate  species.  They  must  be  referred  to  the  genus 
(Edipoda.  —  UHLER.] 


THE    MARBLED    LOCUST.  179 

and  August,  on  dry  barren  hills  and  on  sandy  plains,  upon 
the  scanty  herbage  intermingled  with  the  reindeer  moss. 

6.  Locusta  latipennis.1*     Broad-winged  Locust. 

Ash-colored,  mottled  with  black  and  gray ;  wing-covers 
semi-transparent  beyond  the  middle,  with  numerous  blackish 
spots  which  run  together  at  the  base,  and  form  a  band  across 
the  middle ;  wings  broad,  light  yellow  on  the  basal  half,  the 
remainder  dusky  but  partially  transparent,  with  black  net- 
work, and  deep  black  at  tip,  and  an  intermediate  irregular 
band,  formed  by  a  contiguous  series  of  black  spots,  reaching 
only  to  the  hind  margin,  but  not  continued  towards  the  inner 
angle  ;  hindmost  shanks  pale  yellow,  with  a  black  ring  below 
the  knees,  a  broader  one  at  the  extremity,  and  a  blackish 
spot  behind  the  upper  part  of  the  shank.  Length  ^  inch ; 
exp.  1-j^j-  inch. 

It  is  possible  that  this  may  be  a  variety  of  the  preceding 
species,  from  which  it  differs  especially  in  the  form  and 
width  of  the  wings  and  in  the  colors  of  the  hindmost  shanks. 
It  is  found  in  the  same  places,  and  at  the  same  time,  as  the 
barren-ground  locust. 

7.  Locusta  marmorata.15     Marbled  Locust.     (Fig.  81.) 

Ash-colored,  variegated  with  pale  yellow  and  black ;  thorax 
suddenly  narrowed  before  the  mid- 

J  .  .  Fig.  81. 

die,  and  the  slightly  elevated  longi- 
tudinal line  on  the  top  is  cut  through 
in  the  middle  by  a  transverse  fissure ; 
wing-covers  marbled  with  large  whit- 
ish and  black  spots,  and  semi-transparent  at  the  end ;  wings 
light  yellow  on  the  half  next  to  the  body,  transparent  near 
the  end,  with  two  black  spots  on  the  tip,  and  a  broad  inter- 
mediate black  band,  which,  narrowed  and  curving  inwards 
on  the  hind  margin,  nearly  reaches  the  inner  angle ;  hind- 
most thighs  pale  yellow,  black  at  the  extremity,  and  nearly 

[ 15  L.  marmorata  must  be  referred  to  (Edipoda.  —  UHLER.] 


180  ORTHOPTERA. 

surrounded  by  two  broad  black  bands ;  hind  shanks  coral-red, 
with  a  black  ring  immediately  below  the  knee,  and  followed 
by  a  white  ring,  black  at  the  lower  extremity  also,  with  the 
tips  of  the  spines  black.  In  some  individuals  there  is  an 
additional  black  ring  below  the  white  one  on  the  shanks. 
Length  from  tV  to  above  -&  inch  ;  exp.  !•&  to  !•&•  inch. 

The  marbled  locust,  which  is  one  of  our  prettiest  species, 
is  found  in  the  open  places  contiguous  to  or  within  pitch-pine 
woods,  flying  over  the  scanty  grass  and  reindeer  moss  which 
not  unfrequently  grow  in  these  situations.  It  is  marked  on 
the  wings  somewhat  like  the  barren-ground  locust,  but  is 
invariably  smaller,  with  the  thorax  much  more  contracted 
before  the  middle.  It  appears,  in  the  perfect  state,  from  the 
middle  of  July  to  the  middle  of  October. 

8.  Locusta  eucerata.16     Long-horned  Locust. 

Ash-colored,  variegated  with  gray  and  dark  brown  ;  anten- 
nae nearly  as  long  as  the  body,  and  with  flattened  joints ; 
thorax  very  much  pinched  or  compressed  laterally  before  the 
middle,  with  a  slightly  elevated  longitudinal  line,  which  is 
interrupted  by  two  notches ;  wing-covers  and  wings  long 
and  narrow;  the  former  variegated  with  dusky  spots,  and 
semi-transparent  at  tip  ;  wings  next  to  the  body  yellow, 
sometimes  pale,  sometimes  deep  and  almost  orange-colored, 
at  other  times  uncolored  and  semi-transparent ;  with  a  broad 
black  band  across  the  middle,  which  is  narrowed  and  pro- 
longed on  the  hinder  margin,  and  extends  quite  to  the  inner 
angle ;  beyond  the  band  the  wings  are  transparent,  with  the 
tips  black  or  covered  with  blackish  spots ;  hindmost  shanks 
whitish,  with  a  black  ring  at  each  end,  a  broad  one  of  the 
same  color  just  above  the  middle,  and  the  spines  tipped  with 
black.  Length  £  inch  to  T7^  inch ;  exp.  1-&  inch  to  more 
than  l£  inch. 

The  wings  of  this  species  are  very  variable  in  color  at  the 
base.  The  fenestralis  described  by  M.  Serville  has  the  base 

[  »•  L.  tuceraia  must  be  referred  to  (Edipoda.  —  UHLEK.] 


THE    DUSKY    LOCUST.  181 

of  the  wings  vermilion-red,  but  in  other  respects  it  approaches 
to  this  species.  The  long-horned  locust  is  found  oftentimes 
in  company  with  the  marbled  species,  and  also  near  sea- 
beaches  with  the  maritime  locust,  from  the  last  of  July  to  the 
middle  of  October. 

9.  Locusta  nebulosa.17     Clouded  Locust. 

Dusky  brown ;  thorax  with  a  slender  keel-like  elevation, 
which  is  cut  across  in  the  middle  by  a  transverse  fissure ; 
wing-covers  pale,  clouded,  and  spotted  with  brown ;  wings 
transparent,  dusky  at  tip,  with  a  dark  brown  line  on  the 
front  margin ;  hindmost  shanks  brown,  with  darker  spines, 
and  a  broad  whitish  ring  below  the  knees.  Length  from  ^ 
inch  to  more  than  lT2<y  inch ;  exp.  from  l£  inch  to  more  than 
2  inches. 

A  very  common  species,  and  easily  known  by  its  clouded 
wing-covers  and  colorless  wings.  It  abounds  in  pastures, 
and  even  in  corn-fields  and  gardens,  during  the  months  of 
September  and  October,  at  which  time  it  is  furnished  with 
wings  and  may  often  be  seen  paired  or  busied  in  laying  eggs. 
It  does  not  appear  to  have  been  described  before. 

The  three  following  locusts  differ  from  the  preceding  in 
having  the  antennse  shorter  than  the  thorax,  and  slightly 
thickened  towards  the  end,  and  the  face  somewhat  oblique, 
the  mouth  being  nearer  the  breast  than  in  our  other  species 
of  Locusta ;  and  they  seem  to  constitute  a  distinct  group  or 
sub-genus,  which  may  receive  the  name  of  Tragocephala^1  or 
goat-headed  locusts. 

10.  Locusta  (Tragocephala)  infuscata.     Dusky  Locust. 

Dusky  brown ;  thorax  with  a  slender  keel-like  elevation ; 
wing-covers  faintly  spotted  with  brown ;  wings  transparent, 
pale  greenish  yellow  next  to  the  body,  with  a  large  dusky 

[  17  L.  nebulosa  must  be  referred  to  (Edipoda.  —  UHLER.] 

[  is  Tragocephala  is  synonymous  with  Gomphocerus,  and  L  infuscata,  L.  viridi- 
fasciata,  and  L.  radiata  must  be  referred  to  it.  —  UHLER.] 


182  ORTHOPTERA. 

cloud  near  the  middle  of  the  hind  margin,  and  a  black  line 
on  the  front  margin ;  liind  thighs  pale,  with  two  large  black 
spots  on  the  inside ;  hind  shanks  brown,  with  darker  spines, 
and  a  broad  whitish  ring  below  the  knees.  Length  |  inch ; 
exp.  above  l£  inch. 

Tliis  somewhat  resembles  the  clouded  locust,  from  which, 
however,  it  is  easily  distinguished  by  its  much  shorter  anten- 
nae and  the  dusky  cloud  on  the  hinder  margin  of  the  wings. 
I  have  captured  it  in  pastures,  in  the  perfect  state,  from  the 
middle  of  May  to  near  the  end  of  July.  I  believe  that  it  has 
never  been  described  before. 

11.  Locusta  (Tragocephala)  viridi-fasciata.     Green-striped  Locust. 
(Plate  III.  Fig.  2.) 

Green ;  thorax  keeled  above ;  wing-covers  with  a  broad 
green  stripe  on  the  outer  margin  extending  from  the  base 
beyond  the  middle  and  including  two  small  dusky  spots  on 
the  edge,  the  remainder  dusky  but  semi-transparent  at  the 
end ;  wings  transparent,  very  pale  greenish  yellow  next  to 
the  body,  with  a  large  dusky  cloud  near  the  middle  of  the 
hind  margin,  and  a  black  line  on  the  front  margin  ;  antennae, 
fore  and  middle  legs  reddish ;  hind  thighs  green,  with  two 
black  spots  in  the  furrow  beneath ;  hind  shanks  blue-gray, 
with  a  broad  whitish  ring  below  the  knees,  and  the  spines 
whitish,  tipped  with  black.  Length  about  1  inch ;  exp.  from 
more  than  1J  to  nearly  2  inches. 

This  insect  is  the  Acrydium  viridi-fasciatum  of  De  Geer, 
who  was  the  first  describer  of  it,  the  Crryllus  Virginianus  of 
Fabricius,  the  Gryllus  Locusta  chrysomelas  of  Gmelin,  the 
Acrydium  marginatum  of  Olivier,  and  the  Acridium  hemipte- 
rum  of  Palisot  de  Beauvois.  It  is  remarkable  that  a  species 
so  strongly  marked  as  this  is  should  have  been  so  profusely 
named.  Palisot  de  Beauvois  seems  to  have  selected  the  most 
appropriate  name  for  it ;  for  the  green  portion  of  the  wing- 
covers  is  thick  and  opaque,  and  the  dusky  portion  thin  and 
semi-transparent,  as  in  the  wing-covers  of  Hemipterous  in- 


THE    RADIATED    LOCUST.  183 

sects.  It  is  very  common  in  pastures  and  mowing  lands 
from  the  first  of  June  to  the  middle  of  August,  being  found 
in  various  states  of  maturity  throughout  this  period.  The 
young  also  appear  still  earlier,  and  are  readily  known  by 
their  green  color,  and  large  compressed  thorax,  which  is 
arched  and  crested  or  keeled  above,  and  by  their  very  short 
and  flattened  antennae.  These  locusts  are  sometimes  very 
troublesome  in  gardens,  living  upon  the  leaves  of  vegetables 
and  flowers,  and  attacking  the  buds  and  half-expanded  petals. 
The  larvae  or  young  survive  the  winter,  sheltered  among  the 
roots  of  grass  and  under  leaves. 

12.  Locusta  (Tragocephala)  radiata.     Radiated  Locust. 

Rust-brown  ;  thorax  keeled  above  ;  wing-covers  entirely 
brown,  but  semi-transparent  at  the  end  ;  wings  transparent, 
with  brown  network,  and  the  principal  longitudinal  veins 
black ;  they  are  very  faintly  tinted  with  green  next  to  the 
body,  have  a  large  dusky  cloud  near  the  middle  of  the  hind 
margin,  and  a  brown  streak  on  the  front  margin ;  hind  shanks 
reddish  brown,  a  little  paler  below  the  knees,  and  the  spines 
tipped  with  black.  Length  about  1  inch ;  exp.  from  If  to  2 
inches. 

This  species  is  now  for  the  first  time  described.  It  seems 
to  be  rare.  I  captured  one  specimen  in  Cambridge  on  the 
1st  of  July,  and  have  received  another  from  Dr.  D.  S.  C.  H. 
Smith  of  Sutton,  Massachusetts.  It  is  found  in  North  Caro- 
lina as  early  as  the  month  of  May  in  the  perfect  state. 

The  following  species  have  the  face  still  more  oblique  than 
the  foregoing,  but  the  antennae  are  much  longer,  particularly 
in  the  males,  in  which  they  nearly  equal  the  body  in  length, 
and  are  not  enlarged  towards  the  end.  The  eyes  are  oval 
and  oblique,  and  there  is  a  deep  hollow  before  each  of  them 
for  the  reception  of  the  first  joint  of  the  antennas.  The 
thorax  is  not  crested  or  keeled,  but  is  flattened  above,  with 
three  slender  threadlike  elevated  lines,  and  the  hind  margin 
is  very  nearly  transverse,  or  not  much  (if  at  all)  angulated 


184  ORTHOPTERA. 

behind.  The  wing-covers  and  wings  are  extremely  short. 
The  hind  legs  are  long  and  slender.  I  propose  therefore  to 
separate  these  species  from  the  other  locusts  under  a  sub- 
genus  by  the  name  of  Chloealtis,  derived  from  the  Greek, 
and  signifying  a  grasshopper. 

13.  Locusta  (Chloealtis)  conspersa.     Sprinkled  Locust. 

Light  bay,  sprinkled  with  black  spots ;  a  black  line  on  the 
head  behind  each  eye,  extending  on  each  side  of  the  thorax 
on  the  lateral  elevated  line ;  wing-covers  oblong-oval,  pale 
yellowish  brown,  with  numerous  small  darker  brown  spots ; 
wings  about  three  twentieths  of  an  inch  long,  transparent, 
with  dusky  lines  at  the  tip ;  hind  shanks  pale  red,  with  the 
spines  black  at  the  end.  Length  nearly  T9a  inch. 

This  may  be  merely  a  variety  of  the  following  species, 
though  very  differently  colored. 

14.  Locusta  (Chloealtis)  abortiva.     Abortive  Locust. 

Brown  ;  wing-covers  with  dark  brown  veins  and  confluent 
spots,  covering  two  thirds  of  the  abdomen ;  wings  three 
twentieths  of  an  inch  long,  transparent,  with  dusky  lines  at 
the  tip ;  hind  margin  of  the  thorax  straight ;  hind  shanks 
coral-red,  whitish  just  below  the  knees,  the  spines  tipped 
with  black.  Length  nearly  T9ff  inch. 

This  and  the  preceding  locust  have  much  the  appearance 
of  pupae  or  young  insects ;  nevertheless  I  believe  that  their 
wings  and  wing-covers  never  become  larger,  and  Mr.  Leon- 
ard informs  me  that  they  are  found  paired.  I  have  captured 
the  abortive  locust  in  pastures  near  the  end  of  July. 

15.  Locusta  (Chloealtis)  curtipennis.     Short-winged  Locust. 
(Plate  in.  Fig.  1.) 

Olive-gray  above,  variegated  with  dark  gray  and  black; 
legs  and  body  beneath  yellow ;  a  broad  black  line  extends 
from  behind  each  eye  on  the  sides  of  the  thorax ;  wing-cov- 


THE    GROUSE-LOCUSTS.  185 

ers,  in  the  male,  as  long  as  the  abdomen,  in  the  female, 
covering  two  thirds  of  the  abdomen ;  wings  rather  shorter 
than  the  wing-covers,  transparent,  and  faintly  tinged  with 
yellow ;  hinder  knees  black ;  spines  on  the  hind  shanks 
tipped  with  black.  Length  from  £  to  more  than  -^  inch ; 
exp.  from  -Ju  to  nearly  1  inch. 

The  flight  of  the  short-winged  locust  is  noiseless  and  short, 
but  it  leaps  well.  Great  numbers  of  these  insects  are  found 
in  our  low  meadows,  in  the  perfect  state,  from  the  first  of 
August  till  the  middle  of  October.  They  are  easily  distin- 
guished from  other  locusts  by  their  short  and  narrow  wings, 
by  the  yellow  color  of  the  body  beneath,  and  by  the  yellow 
legs  and  black  knees. 

III.   TETRIX.     Grouse-locust. 

The  Greeks  applied  the  name  of  Tetrix  to  some  kind  of 
grouse,  probably  the  heath-cock  of  Europe,  and  Latreille 
adopted  it  for  a  genus  of  locusts  in  which,  perhaps,  he  fan- 
cied some  resemblance  to  the  bird  in  question.  Linnaeus 
placed  these  locusts  in  a  division  of  his  genus  Gryllus,  which 
he  called  Bulla,  a  name  that  ought  to  have  been  retained  for 
them.  The  principal  distinguishing  characters  of  the  genus 
have  already  been  given,  and  I  will  only  add  that  the  body  is 
broadest  between  the  middle  legs,  narrows  gradually  to  a 
point  behind,  and  very  abruptly  to  the  head,  which  is  much 
smaller  than  in  the  other  locusts.  The  wings  are  large, 
forming  nearly  the  quadrant  of  a  circle,  thin  and  delicate, 
and  scalloped  on  the  edge ;  when  not  in  use  they  are  folded 
beneath  the  projecting  thorax.  The  four  boring  appendages 
of  the  females  are  notched  on  their  edges  with  fine  teeth,  like 
a  saw.  Latreille  and  Serville  have  stated  that  the  antennas 
consist  of  only  thirteen  or  fourteen  joints ;  but  some  of  our 
native  species  have  twenty-two  joints  in  the  antennae.  Upon 
this  variation  I  would  arrange  those  now  to  be  described  in 
two  groups. 

24 


186  ORTHOPTERA. 

I.  Antennae  \±-jointed;  eyes  very  prominent,  with  a  project- 
ing ridge  between  tfiem,  formed  by  a  horizontal  extension  of  the 
flat  top  of  the  head;  thorax  prolonged  beyond  the  extremity  of 
the  body. 

1.  Tetrix  ornata.     Ornamented  Grouse-locust. 

Dark  ash-colored  ;  a  large  white  patch  between  four  black 
spots  on  the  top  of  the  thorax  ;  a  white  spot  on  the  top  of  the 
hind  thighs ;  thorax  nearly  or  quite  as  long  as  the  wings. 
Length  £&  to  •&  inch  to  the  apex  of  the  thorax. 

This  species  varies  in  wanting  the  white  spot  on  the  top  of 
the  thorax  sometimes.  It  was  first  described  by  Mr.  Say, 
under  the  name  of  Acrydium  ornatum* 

2.   Tetrix  dorsalis.     Red-spotted  Grouse-locust. 

Rusty  black,  with  ochre-yellow  spots  on  the  sides  and  legs, 
and  a  large  rusty-red  spot  on  the  top  of  the  thorax  ;  wings 
extending  beyond  the  apex  of  the  thorax.  Length  £  inch. 

3.   Tetrix  quadrimaculata.     Four-spotted  Grouse-locust. 

Ash-colored  or  dark  gray  above,  variegated  with  black; 
four  velvet-black  spots  on  the  top  of  the  thorax ;  wings 
projecting  beyond  the  extremity  of  the  thorax.  Length  from 
T*<r  to  -&  of  an  inch. 

This  is  a  shorter  and  thicker  species  than  the  ornamented 
grouse-locust.  It  is  not  uncommon  in  pastures  from  the  first 
of  May  to  the  first  of  June. 

4.   Tetrix  bilineata.     Two-lined  Grouse-locust. 

Ash-colored ;  thorax  paler,  with  a  narrow  angular  whitisli 
line,  on  each  side,  extending  from  the  head  beyond  the  mid- 
dle ;  the  angular  portion  including  a  long  blackish  patch  on 
each  side ;  wings,  in  the  male,  rather  shorter  than  the  tho- 
rax, in  the  female  longer.  Length  from  2V  to  more  than  & 
inch. 

*  American  Entomology,  Vol.  I.  Plate  5. 


THE    GROUSE-LOCUSTS.  187 

5.    Tetrix  sordida.     Sordid  Grouse-locust. 

Yellowish  ash-colored ;  thorax  with  minute  elevated  black 
points ;  wings,  in  both  sexes,  rather  longer  than  the  thorax. 
Length  from  /•$  inch  to  nearly  £  inch. 

I  have  taken  this  species  both  in  May  and  September,  and 
have  received  a  specimen  from  Dr.  D.  S.  C.  H.  Smith,  of 
Sutton,  Massachusetts. 

II.  Antennce  22-jointed;  eyes  hardly  prominent,  top  of  the 
head  not  horizontal  between  them,  but  curving  towards  the  front, 
with  a  very  slightly  projecting  ridge;  wings  smaller  than  in 
those  of  the  preceding  group. 

6.   Tetrix  lateralis.     Black-sided  Grouse-locust. 

Pale  brown  ;  sides  of  the  body  blackish  ;  thorax  yellowish 
clay-colored,  shorter  than  the  wings,  but  longer  than  the 
body ;  wing-covers  with  a  small  white  spot  at  the  tips  ;  male 
with  the  face  and  the  edges  of  the  lateral  margins  of  the  tho- 
rax yellow.  Length  from  ^  to  -&•  of  an  inch. 

This  species  was  first  described  by  Mr.  Say  under  the 
name  of  Acrydium  laterals.*  I  have  taken  it  from  the  mid- 
dle of  April  to  the  middle  of  May.  It  varies  in  being  darker 
above  sometimes. 

7.   Tetrix  parvipennis.    (Fig.  82.)    Small-winged  Grouse-locust. 

Dark  brown ;  sides  blackish ;  thorax  clay-colored  or  pale 
brown,  about  as  long  as  the  body ;  wing-covers 
with  a  small  white  spot  at  the  tips  ;  wings  much        Fie- 82- 
shorter  than  the  thorax ;  male  with  the  face  and 
the  edges  of  the  lateral  margins  of  the   thorax 
yellow.     Length  from  £•$  to  more  than  29o-  inch.19 

This  species  is  much  shorter  and  thicker  than 
the  Tetrix  lateralis.  I  have  taken  it  in  April 
and  May,  in  the  perfect  state,  and  have  found 
the  pupae  near  the  end  of  July. 

*  American  Entomology,  Vol.  I.  Plate  5. 

[ 19  Color  and  style  of  marking  is  of  very  little  value  in  separating  the  species 
of  Tetrix,  and  the  species  described  by  Dr.  Harris  are  probably  all  referable  to  the 
two  species  of  Say.  —  UHLER.] 


ORTHOPTERA. 

The  habits  of  the  grouse-locusts  are  said  to  be  absolutely 
the  same  as  those  of  other  locusts.  They  seem,  however,  to 
be  more  fond  of  heat,  being  generally  found  in  grassy  places, 
on  banks,  by  the  sides  of  the  road,  and  even  on  the  naked 
sands,  exposed  to  the  full  influence  of  the  sun  throughout  the 
day.  They  are  extremely  agile,  and  consequently  very  diffi- 
cult to  capture,  for  they  leap  to  an  astonishing  distance,  con- 
sidering their  small  size,  being  moreover  aided  in  this  motion 
by  their  ample  wings.  The  young,  which  are  deprived  of 
wings,  are  generally  found  about  midsummer,  and  are  readily 
distinguished  by  the  thorax,  which  is  somewhat  like  a  re- 
versed boat,  being  furnished  with  a  longitudinal  ridge  or  keel 
from  one  end  to  the  other.  These  little  locusts  are  analogous 
to  the  insects  belonging  to  the  genus  Membraeis  in  the  order 
HEMTPTERA,  which  also  are  distinguished  by  a  very  large 
thorax  covering  the  whole  of  the  upper  side  of  the  body, 
small  wing-covers,  and  have  the  faculty  of  making  great  leaps. 
Indeed,  these  two  kinds  of  insects  very  naturally  connect  the 
orders  Orthoptera  and  Hemiptera  together. 

After  so  much  space  has  been  devoted  to  an  account  of  the 
ravages  of  grasshoppers  and  locusts,  and  to  the  descriptions 
of  the  insects  themselves,  perhaps  it  may  be  expected  that  the 
means  of  checking  and  destroying  them  should  be  fully  ex- 
plained. The  naturalist,  however,  seldom  has  it  in  his  power 
to  put  in  practice  the  various  remedies  which  his  knowledge 
or  experience  may  suggest.  His  proper  province  consists  in 
examining  the  living  objects  about  him  with  regard  to  their 
structure,  their  scientific  arrangement,  and  their  economy  or 
history.  In  doing  this,  he  opens  to  others  the  way  to  a  suc- 
cessful course  of  experiments,  the  trial  of  which  he  is  gener- 
ally obliged  to  leave  to  those  who  are  more  favorably  situated 
for  their  performance. 

In  the  South  of  France  the  people  make  a  business,  at 
certain  seasons  of  the  year,  of  collecting  locusts  and  their 
eggs,  the  latter  being  turned  out  of  the  ground  in  little  masses 
cemented  and  covered  with  a  sort  of  gum  in  which  they  are 


REMEDIES.  189 

enveloped  by  the  insects.  Rewards  are  offered  and  paid  for 
their  collection,  half  a  franc  being  given  for  a  kilogramme 
(about  2  Ib.  3£  oz.  avoirdupois)  of  the  insects,  and  a  quarter 
of  a  franc  for  the  same  weight  of  their  eggs.  At  this  rate 

O  CO 

twenty  thousand  francs  were  paid  in  Marseilles,  and  twenty- 
five  thousand  in  Aries,  in  the  year  1613 ;  in  1824,  five  thou- 
sand five  hundred  and  forty-two,  and  in  1825,  six  thousand 
two  hundred  francs  were  paid  in  Marseilles.  It  is  stated  that 
an  active  boy  can  collect  from  six  to  seven  kilogrammes  (or 
from  13  Ib.  3  oz.  13.22  dr.  to  15  Ib.  7  oz.  2.09  dr.)  of  eggs 
in  one  day.  The  locusts  are  taken  by  means  of  a  piece  of 
stout  cloth,  carried  by  four  persons,  two  of  whom  draw  it 
rapidly  along,  so  that  the  edge  may  sweep  over  the  surface  of 
the  soil,  and  the  two  others  hold  up  the  cloth  behind  at  an 
angle  of  forty-five  degrees.*  This  contrivance  seems  to  oper- 
ate somewhat  like  a  horse-rake,  in  gathering  the  insects  into 
winrows  or  heaps,  from  which  they  are  speedily  transferred 
to  large  sacks. 

A  somewhat  similar  plan  has  been  successfully  tried  in 
this  country,  as  appears  by  an  account  extracted  from  the 
"  Portsmouth  Journal,"  and  published  in  the  "  New  Eng- 
land Farmer. "f  It  is  there  stated  that,  in  July,  1826,  Mr. 
Arnold  Thompson,  of  Epsom,  New  Hampshire,  caught,  in 
one  evening,  between  the  hours  of  eight  and  twelve,  in  his 
own  and  his  neighbor's  grain-fields,  five  bushels  and  .three 
pecks  of  grasshoppers,  or  more  properly  locusts.  "  His  mode 
of  catching  them  was  by  attaching  two  sheets  together,  and 
fastening  them  to  a  pole,  which  was  used  as  the  front  part  of 
the  drag.  The  pole  extended  beyond  the  width  of  the  sheets, 
so  as  to  admit  persons  at  both  sides  to  draw  it  forward.  At 
the  sides  of  the  drag,  braces  extended  from  the  pole  to  raise 
the  back  part  considerably  from  the  ground,  so  that  the 
grasshoppers  could  not  escape.  After  running  the  drag  about 
a  dozen  rods  with  rapidity,  the  braces  were  taken  out,  and 

*  See  Annales  de  la  Societe'  Entomologique  de  France,  Vol.  II.  pp.  486  -  489. 
t  Vol.  V.  p.  5. 


190  ORTHOPTERA. 

the  sheets  doubled  over ;  the  grasshoppers  were  then  swept 
from  each  end  towards  the  centre  of  the  sheet,  where  was 
left  an  opening  to  the  mouth  of  a  bag  which  held  about  half 
a  bushel ;  when  deposited  and  tied  up,  the  drag  was  again 
opened  and  ready  to  proceed.  When  this  bag  was  filled  so 
as  to  become  burdensome  (their  weight  is  about  the  same  as 
that  of  the  same  measure  of  corn),  the  bag  was  opened  into  a 
larger  one,  and  the  grasshoppers  received  into  a  new  deposit. 
The  drag  can  be  used  only  in  the  evening,  when  the  grass- 
hoppers are  perched  on  the  top  of  the  grain.  His  manner  of 
destroying  them  was  by  dipping  the  large  bags  into  a  kettle 
of  boiling  water.  When  boiled,  they  had  a  reddish  appear- 
ance, and  made  a  fine  feast  for  the  farmer's  hogs." 

When  these  insects  are  very  prevalent  on  our  salt-marshes, 
it  will  be  advisable  to  mow  the  grass  early,  so  as  to  secure 
a  crop  before  it  has  suffered  much  loss.  The  time  for  doing 
this  will  be  determined  by  data  furnished  in  the  foregoing 
pages,  where  it  will  be  seen  that  the  most  destructive  species 
come  to  maturity  during  the  latter  part  of  July.  If,  then, 
the  marshes  are  mowed  about  the  first  of  July,  the  locusts, 
being  at  that  time  small  and  not  provided  with  wings,  will 
be  unable  to  migrate,  and  will  consequently  perish  on  the 
ground  for  the  want  of  food,  while  a  tolerable  crop  of  hay 
will  be  secured,  and  the  marshes  will  suffer  less  from  the 
insects  during  the  following  summer.  This,  like  all  other 
preventive  measures,  must  be  generally  adopted,  in  order 
to  prove  effectual ;  for  it  will  avail  a  farmer  but  little  to 
take  preventive  measures  on  his  own  land,  if  his  neighbors, 
who  are  equally  exposed  and  interested,  neglect  to  do  the 
same. 

Among  the  natural  means  which  seem  to  be  appointed 
to  keep  these  insects  in  check,  violent  winds  and  storms 
may  be  mentioned,  which  sometimes  sweep  them  off  in 
great  swarms,  and  cast  them  into  the  sea.  Vast  numbers 
are  drowned  by  the  high  tides  that  frequently  inundate  our 
marshes.  They  are  subject  to  be  attacked  by  certain  thread- 


NATURAL    ENEMIES.  191 

like  brown  or  blackish  worms  {Filaria),  resembling  in  ap- 
pearance those  called  horse-hair  eels  (Grordius).  I  have 
taken  three  or  four  of  these  animals  out  of  the  body  of  a 
single  locust.  They  are  also  much  infested  by  little  red 
mites,  belonging  apparently  to  the  genus  Ocypete ;  these  so 
much  weaken  the  insects,  by  sucking  the  juices  from  their 
bodies,  as  to  hasten  their  death.  Ten  or  a  dozen  of  these 
mites  will  frequently  be  found  pertinaciously  adhering  to  the 
body  of  a  locust,  beneath  its  wing-covers  and  wings .  A  kind 
of  sand-wasp  preys  upon  grasshoppers,  and  provisions  her 
nest  with  them.  Many  birds  devour  them,  particularly  our 
domestic  fowls,  which  eat  great  numbers  of  grasshoppers,  lo- 
custs, and  even  crickets.  Young  turkeys,  if  allowed  to  go  at 
large  during  the  summer,  derive  nearly  the  whole  of  their 
subsistence  from  these  insects. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


HEMIPTERA. 

BUGS.  —  SQUASH-BUG.  —  CHINCH-BUG.  —  PLANT-BUGS.  —  HARVEST-FLIES.  — 
TREK-HOPPERS.  —  LEAF-HOPPERS.  —  VINE-HOPPER.  —  BEAN-HOPPER.  — 
THRIPS.  —  PLANT-LICE.  —  AMERICAN  BLIGHT.  —  ENEMIES  OF  PLANT-LICE. 
—  BARK-LICE. 


word  bug  seems  originally  to  have  been  used  for 
JL  any  frightful  object,  whether  real  or  imaginary,  whose 
appearance  was  to  be  feared  at  night.  It  was  applied  in  the 
same  sense  as  bugbear,  and  also  as  a  term  of  contempt  for 
sometliing  disagreeable  or  hateful.  In  later  times  it  became, 
with  the  common  people,  a  general  name  for  insects,  which, 
being  little  known,  were  viewed  with  dislike  or  terror.  At 
present,  however,  we  can  say,  with  L'Estrange,  though 
"  we  have  a  horror  for  uncouth  monsters,  upon  experience 
all  these  bugs  grow  familiar  and  easy  to  us."  We  would 
except  from  this  remark  those  domestic  nocturnal  species  to 
which  the  name  is  now  applied  by  way  of  pre-eminence  ;  the 
real,  by  an  easy  transition  in  the  use  of  language,  having 
assumed  the  name  of  the  imaginary  objects  of  terror  and 
disgust  by  night. 

Entomologists  now  use  the  word  bug  for  various  kinds  of 
insects,  all,  like  the  bed-bug,  having  the  mouth  provided  with 
a  slender  beak,  which,  when  not  in  use,  is  bent  under  the 
body,  and  lies  upon  the  breast  between  the  legs.  This 
instrument  consists  of  a  horny  sheath,  containing,  in  a  groove 
along  its  upper  surface,  three  stiff  bristles  as  sharp  as  needles. 
Bugs  have  no  jaws,  but  live  by  sucking  the  juices  of  animals 
and  plants,  which  they  obtain  by  piercing  them  with  their 


BUGS.  193 

beaks.  Although  the  domestic  kinds  above  mentioned  are 
without  wing-covers  and  wings,  yet  most  bugs  have  both, 
and,  with  the  former,  belong  to  an  order  called  HEMIPTERA, 
literally  half-wings,  on  account  of  the  peculiar  construction 
of  their  wing-covers,  the  hinder  half  of  which  is  thin  and 
filmy  like  the  wings,  while  the  fore  part  is  thick  and  opaque. 
There  are,  however,  other  insects  provided  with  the  same 
kind  of  beak,  but  having  the  wing-covers  sometimes  entirely 
transparent,  and  sometimes  more  or  less  opaque,  and  these, 
by  most  entomologists,  are  also  classed  among  Hemipte- 
rous  insects,  because  they  come  much  nearer  to  them  than 
to  any  other  insects,  in  structure  and  habits.  Bugs,  like 
other  insects,  undergo  three  changes,  but  they  retain  nearly 
the  same  form  in  all  their  stages  ;  for  the  only  transformation 
to  which  they  are  subject,  from  the  young  to  the  adult  state, 
is  occasioned  by  the  gradual  development  of  their  wing-covers 
and  wings,  and  the  growth  of  their  bodies,  which  make  it 
necessary  for  them  repeatedly  to  throw  off  their  skins,  to 
allow  of  their  increase  in  size.  Young,  half-grown,  and 
mature,  all  live  in  the  same  way,  and  all  are  equally  active. 
The  young  come  forth  from  the  egg  without  wing-covers 
and  wings,  which  begin  to  appear  in  the  form  of  little  scales 
on  the  top  of  their  backs  as  they  grow  older,  and  increase 
in  size  with  each  successive  moulting  of  the  skin,  till  they 
are  fully  developed  in  the  full-grown  insect. 

The  Hemiptera  are  divided  into  two  groups,  distinguished 
by  the  following  characters. 

1.  BUGS,  or  TRUE  HEMIPTERA,  (Hemiptera  Tieteroptera^)  in 
which  the  wing-covers  are  thick  and  opaque  at  the  base,  but 
thin  and  more  or  less  transparent  and  wing-like  at  the  tips, 
are  laid  horizontally  on  the  top  of  the  back,  and  cross  each 
other  obliquely  at  the  end,  so  that  the  thin  part  of  one  wing- 
cover  overlaps  the  same  part  of  the  other ;  the  wings  are  also 
horizontal,  and  are  not  plaited ;  the  head  is  more  or  less  hori- 
zontal, and  the  beak  issues  from  the  fore  part  of  it,  and  is 
abruptly  bent  backwards  beneath  the  under  side  of  the  head 
25 


104  HEMIPTERA. 

and  the  breast.    Some  of  the  insects  belonging  to  this  division 
live  on  animal,  and  others  on  vegetable  juices. 

2.  HARVEST-FLIES,  PLANT-LICE,  and  BARK-LICE,  (Hemipte- 
ra  Iwmoptera,*)  in  which  the  wing-covers  are,  as  the  scientific 
name  implies,  of  one  texture  throughout,  and  are  either  en- 
tirely thin  and  transparent,  like  wings,  or  somewhat  thicker 
and  opaque ;  they  are  not  horizontal,  and  do  not  cross  each 
other  at  their  extremities,  but,  together  with  the  wings,  are 
more  or  less  inclined  at  the  sides  of  the  body,  like  the  wing- 
covers  of  locusts  ;  the  face  is  either  vertical,  or  slopes  oblique- 
ly under  the  body,  so  that  the  beak  issues  from  the  under 
side  of  the  head  close  to  the  breast.  All  the  insects  in- 
cluded in  this  division  live  on  vegetable  juices. 

I.    BUGS.     (Hemiptera  heteroptera.) 

The  hemipterous  insects  belonging  to  this  division  are  vari- 
ous kinds  of  bugs,  properly  so  called,  such  as  squash-bugs, 
bed-bugs,  fruit-bugs,  water-bugs,  water-boatmen,  and  many 
others,  for  which  there  are  no  common  names  in  our  lan- 
guage. In  my  Catalogue  of  the  Insects  of  Massachusetts, 
the  scientific  names  of  ninety-five  native  species  are  given ; 
but,  as  the  mere  description  of  these  insects,  unaccompanied 
by  any  details  respecting  their  economy  and  habits,  would 
not  interest  the  majority  of  readers,  and  as  I  am  not  suf- 
ficiently prepared  to  furnish  these  details  at  present,  I  shall 
confine  my  remarks  to  two  or  three  species  only. 

The    common    squash-bug,    Coreus    tristis 

Ki  •     H 

y        .         (Fig.  83),  so  well  known  for  the  injurious 
\\//         effects    of  its    punctures    on    the    leaves    of 
_jA£__        squashes,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of 
yj^f^\.    tnese  insects.     It  was  first  described  by  De 
rj     Y\        Geer,  who  gave  it  the  specific  name  of  tristis, 
\  from  its  sober  color,  which  Gmelin  unwar- 

rantably changed  to  mcestus,  having,  however, 
the  same  meaning.  Fabricius  called  it  Coreus  rugator,  the 
latter  word  signifying  one  who  wrinkles,  which  was  probably 


THE    COMMON    SQUASH-BUG.  195 

applied  to  this  insect  because  its  punctures  cause  the  leaves 
of  the  squash  to  become  wrinkled.  Mr.  Say,  not  being  aware 
that  this  insect  had  already  been  three  times  named  and  de- 
scribed, re-described  it  under  the  name  of  Coreus  ordinatus. 
Of  these  four  names,  however,  that  of  tristis,  being  the  first, 
is  the  only  one  which  it  can  retain.  Coreus,  its  generical 
name,  was  altered  by  Fabricius  from  Com,  a  word  used  by 
the  Greeks  for  some  kind  of  bug. 

About  the  last  of  October  squash-bugs  desert  the  plants 
upon  which  they  have  lived  during  the  summer,  and  conceal 
themselves  in  crevices  of  walls  and  fences,  and  other  places 
of  security,  where  they  pass  the  winter  in  a  torpid  state. 
On  the  return  of  warm  weather,  they  issue  from  their  winter 
quarters,  and  when  the  vines  of  the  squash  have  put  forth  a 
few  rough  leaves,  the  bugs  meet  beneath  their  shelter,  pair, 
and  immediately  afterwards  begin  to  lay  their  eggs.  This 
usually  happens  about  the  last  of  June  or  beginning  of  July, 
at  which  time,  by  carefully  examining  the  vines,  we  shall  find 
the  insects  on  the  ground  or  on  the  stems  of  the  vines,  close 
to  the  ground,  from  which  they  are  hardly  to  be  distinguished 
on  account  of  their  dusky  color.  This  is  the  place  where 
they  generally  remain  during  the  daytime,  apparently  to  es- 
cape observation ;  but  at  night  they  leave  the  ground,  get 
beneath  the  leaves,  and  lay  their  eggs  in  little  patches,  fasten- 
ing them  with  a  gummy  substance  to  the  under  sides  of  the 
leaves.  The  egers  are  round,  and  flattened  on  two  sides,  and 

OO  7  7 

are  soon  hatched.  The  young  bugs  are  proportionally  shorter 
and  more  rounded  than  the  perfect  insects,  are  of  a  pale  ash- 
color,  and  have  quite  large  antennae,  the  joints  of  which  are 
somewhat  flattened.  As  they  grow  older  and  increase  in  size, 
after  moulting  their  skins  a  few  times,  they  become  more  oval 
in  form,  and  the  under  side  of  their  bodies  gradually  acquires 
a  dull  ochre-yellow  color.  They  live  together  at  first  in  little 
swarms  or  families  beneath  the  leaves  upon  which  they  were 
hatched,  and  which,  in  consequence  of  the  numerous  punc- 
tures of  the  insects,  and  the  quantity  of  sap  imbibed  by  them, 


196  HEMIPTERA. 

soon  wither,  and  eventually  become  brown,  dry,  and  wrin- 
kled; when  the  insects  leave  them  for  fresh  leaves,  which 
they  exhaust  in  the  same  way.  As  the  eggs  are  not  all  laid 
at  one  time,  so  the  bugs  are  hatched  in  successive  broods, 
and  consequently  will  be  found  in  various  stages  of  growth 
through  the  summer.  They,  however,  attain  their  full  size, 
pass  through  their  last  transformation,  and  appear  in  their 
perfect  state,  or  furnished  with  wing-covers  and  wings,  dur- 
ing the  months  of  September  and  October.  In  this  last  state 
the  squash-bug  measures  six  tenths  of  an  inch  in  length.  It 
is  of  a  rusty  black  color  above,  and  of  a  dirty  ochre-yellow 
color  beneath,  and  the  sharp  lateral  edges  of  the  abdomen, 
which  project  beyond  the  closed  wing-covers,  are  spotted  with 
ochre-yellow.  The  thin  overlapping  portion  of  the  wing-cov- 
ers is  black  ;  the  wings  are  transparent,  but  are  dusky  at  their 
tips ;  and  the  upper  side  of  the  abdomen,  upon  which  the 
wings  rest  when  not  in  use,  is  of  a  deep  black  color,  and  vel- 
vety appearance. 

The  ground-color  of  this  insect  is  really  ochre-yellow,  and 
the  rusty  black  hue  of  the  head,  thorax,  thick  part  of  the 
wing-covers,  and  legs,  is  occasioned  by  numerous  black  punc- 
tures, that,  on  the  head,  are  arranged  in  two  broad  black 
longitudinal  lines,  between  which,  as  well  as  on  the  margin 
of  the  thorax,  the  yellow  is  distinctly  to  be  seen.  On  the 
back  part  of  the  head  of  this  bug,  and  rather  behind  the  eyes, 
are  two  little  glassy  elevated  spots,  which  are  called  eyelets, 
and  which  are  supposed  to  enable  the  insect  to  see  distant 
objects  above  it,  while  the  larger  eyes  at  the  sides  of  the  head 
are  for  nearer  objects  around  it.  Eyelets  are  also  to  be  found 
in  grasshoppers,  locusts,  and  many  other  insects.  In  some  of 
our  species  of  Coreus  there  is  a  little  thorn  at  the  base  of  the 
antennae,  the  legs  are  also  thorny  on  the  under  side,  and  the 
hindmost  thighs  are  much  thicker  than  the  others ;  but  none 
of  these  characters  are  found  in  squash-bugs.*  When  han- 
dled, and  still  more  when  crushed,  the  latter  give  out  an  odor 

•  They  appear  to  belong  to  the  genus  Gonocerus  of  Burmeister. 


THE    CHINCH-BUG.  197 

precisely  similar  to  that  of  an  over-ripe  pear,  but  far  too  pow- 
erful to  be  agreeable. 

In  order  to  prevent  the  ravages  of  these  insects,  they 
should  be  sought  and  killed  when  they  are  about  to  lay  their 
eggs ;  and  if  any  escape  our  observation  at  this  time,  their 
eggs  may  be  easily  found  and  crushed.  With  this  view  the 
squash-vines  must  be  visited  daily,  during  the  early  part  of 
their  growth,  and  must  be  carefully  examined  for  the  bugs 
and  their  eggs.  A  very  short  time  spent  in  this  way  every 
day,  in  the  proper  season,  will  save  a  great  deal  of  vexation 
and  disappointment  afterwards.  If  this  precaution  be  neglect- 
ed or  deferred  till  the  vines  have  begun  to  spread,  it  will  be 
exceedingly  difficult  to  exterminate  the  insects,  on  account  of 
their  numbers ;  and  if  at  this  time  dry  weather  should  pre- 
vail, the  vines  will  suffer  so  much  from  the  bugs  and  drought 
together,  as  to  produce  but  little  if  any  fruit.  Whatever  con- 
tributes to  bring  forward  the  plants  rapidly,  and  to  promote 
the  vigor  and  luxuriance  of  their  foliage,  renders  them  less 
liable  to  suffer  by  the  exhausting  punctures  of  the  young 
bugs.  Water  drained  from  a  cow-yard,  and  similar  prepara- 
tions, have,  with  this  intent,  been  applied  with  benefit. 

The  wheat-fields  and  corn-fields  of  the  South  and  West 
often  suffer  severely  from  the  depredations  of  certain  minute 
bugs,  long  known  there  by  the  name  of  chinch-bugs,  which 
fortunately  have  not  yet  been  observed  in  New  England.* 
It  is  not  improbable,  however,  that  they  may  spread  in  this 
direction,  and  attack  our  growing  grain  and  other  crops.  In 
anticipation  of  such  a  sad  event,  and  to  gratify  a  curiosity 
that  has  been  expressed  concerning  these  offensive  insects,  I 
venture  to  offer  a  few  remarks  upon  them.  Attention  seems 
early  to  have  been  directed  to  them.  They  are  mentioned  in 
the  eleventh  volume  of  Young's  "  Annals  of  Agriculture," 
published,  I  believe,  about  1788.  From  this  work  Messrs. 
Kirby  and  Spence  probably  obtained  the  following  account, 

*  While  this  sheet  is  passing  through  the  press,  I  have  to  record  the  discovery 
of  one  of  these  bugs  in  my  own  garden,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1852. 


198  HEMIPTERA. 

contained  in  the  first  volume  of  their  interesting  "  Introduc- 
tion to  Entomology."  "  America  suffers  in  its  wheat  and 
maize  from  the  attack  of  an  insect,  which,  for  what  reason  I 
know  not,  is  called  the  chinch-bug  fly.  It  appears  to  be 
apterous,  and  is  said  in  scent  and  color  to  resemble  the  bed- 
bug. They  travel  in  immense  columns  from  field  to  field,  like 
locusts,  destroying  everything  as  they  proceed  ;  but  their 
injuries  are  confined  to  the  States  south  of  the  40th  degree  of 
north  latitude.  From  this  account,"  add  Kirby  and  Spence, 
"  the  depredator  here  noticed  should  belong  to  the  tribe 
Geocorisce,  Latr. ;  but  it  seems  very  difficult  to  conceive  how 
an  insect  that  lives  by  suction,  and  has  no  mandibles,  could 
destroy  these  plants  so  totally." 

I  have  ascertained,  from  an  examination  of  living  speci- 
mens, that  the  chinch-bug  is  the  Lygceus  Leucopterus  (Fig. 
84),  or  white- winged  Lyga3us,  described  by 
Mr.  Say,  in  December,  1831,  in  a  rare 
little  pamphlet  on  the  "  Heteropterous  He- 
miptera  of  North  America."  It  appears, 
moreover,  to  belong  to  the  modern  genus 
Rhyparochromus.  In  its  perfect  state  it  is 
not  apterous,  but  is  provided  with  wings, 
and  then  measures  about  three  twentieths 
of  an  inch  in  length.  It  is  readily  distinguished  by  its  white 
wing-covers,  upon  each  of  which  there  is  a  short  central 
line  and  a  large  marginal  oval  spot  of  a  black  color.  The 
rest  of  the  body  is  black  and  downy,  except  the  beak,  the 
legs,  the  antennae  at  base,  and  the  hinder  edge  of  the  thorax, 
which  are  reddish  yellow,  and  the  fore  part  of  the  thorax, 
which  has  a  grayish  lustre.  The  young  and  wingless  indi- 
viduals are  at  first  bright  red,  changing  with  age  to  brown 
and  black,  and  are  always  marked  with  a  white  band  across 
the  back.  It  is  a  mistake  that  these  insects  are  confined  to 
the  States  south  of  the  40th  degree ;  for  I  have  been  favored 
with  them  by  Professor  Lathrop,  of  Beloit  College,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  by  Dr.  Le  Baron,  of  Geneva,  Illinois.  The  latter 


THE    PLANT-BUGS.  199 

gentleman  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  sufficient  number 
without  going  out  of  his  own  garden.  The  eggs  of  the 
chinch-bug  are  laid  in  the  ground,  in  which  the  young  have 
been  found,  in  great  abundance,  at  the  depth  of  an  inch  or 
more.  They  make  their  appearance  on  wheat  about  the 
middle  of  June,  and  may  be  seen  in  their  various  stages  of 
growth  on  all  kinds  of  grain,  on  corn,  and  on  herds-grass, 
during  the  whole  summer.  Some  of  them  continue  alive 
through  the  winter  in  their  places  of  concealment.  A  very- 
good  account  of  these  destructive  bugs,  with  an  enlarged 
figure,  will  be  found  in  the  "  Prairie  Farmer,"  for  December, 
1845.  In  the  same  publication,  for  September,  1850,  there 
is  an  excellent  description  of  the  chinch-bug,  by  Dr.  Le 
Baron,  who,  not  being  aware  that  it  had  been  previously 
named  by  Mr.  Say,  called  it  Rhyparochromus  devastator. 

During  the  summer  of  1838,  and  particularly  in  the  early 
part  of  the  season,  which,  it  will  be  recollected,  was  very  dry, 
our  gardens  and  fields  swarmed  with  immense  numbers  ot 
little  bugs,  that  attacked  almost  all  kinds  of  herbaceous 
plants.  My  attention  was  first  drawn  to  them  in  conse- 
quence of  the  injury  sustained  by  a  few  dahlias,  marigolds, 
asters,  and  balsams,  with  which  I  had  stocked  a  little  border 
around  my  house.  In  the  garden  of  my  friends  the  Messrs. 
Hovey,  at  Cambridge  Port,  I  observed,  about  the  same  time, 
that  these  insects  were  committing  sad  havoc,  and  was  in- 
formed that  various  means  had  been  tried  to  destroy  or  expel 
them  without  effect.  On  visiting  my  potato-patch  shortly 
afterwards,  I  found  the  insects  there  also  in  great  numbers  on 
the  vines ;  and,  from  information  worthy  of  credit,  am  inclined 
to  believe  that  these  insects  contributed,  quite  as  much  as 
the  dry  weather  of  that  season,  to  dimmish  the  produce  of  the 
potato-fields  in  this  vicinity.  They  principally  attacked  the 
buds,  terminal  shoots,  and  most  succulent  growing  parts 
of  these  and  other  herbaceous  plants,  puncturing  them  with 
their  beaks,  drawing  off  the  sap,  and,  from  the  effects  sub- 
sequently visible,  apparently  poisoning  the  parts  attacked. 


200  HEMIPTERA. 

These  shortly  afterwards  withered,  turned  black,  and  in  a  few 
days  dried  up  ;  or  curled,  and  remained  permanently  stunted 
in  their  growth.  Early  in  the  morning  the  bugs  would  be 
found  buried  among  the  little  expanding  leaves  of  the  grow- 
ing extremities  of  the  plants,  at  which  time  it  was  not  very 
difficult  to  catch  them  ;  but,  after  being  warmed  by  the  sun, 
they  became  exceedingly  active,  and,  on  the  approach  of  the 
fingers,  would  loose  their  hold,  and  either  drop  suddenly 
or  fly  away.  Sometimes,  too,  when  on  the  stem  of  a  plant, 
they  would  dodge  round  to  the  other  side,  and  thus  elude 
our  grasp.  In  July,  1851,  some  of  these  insects  were  sent 
to  me  by  a  gentleman,  who  brought  them  from  St.  Johns- 
bury,  Vt.,  where  they  were  confidently  believed  to  be  the 
cause  of  the  potato-rot. 

This  kind  of  bug  is  the  Phytocoris  lineolaris l  (Fig.  85), 
a  variety  of  which  was  first  described  and  figured  by  Palisot 
de  Beauvois,  under  the  specific  name  above  given,  and  was 
doubtingly  referred  by  him  to  the  genus  Coreus ;  and  it  was 
subsequently  described  by  Mr.  Say,*  who  called  it  Capsus 
oblineatus.  All  the  insects  belonging  to  the  genus  Phyto- 
coris* (which  means  plant-bug)  are  found  on  plants,  and 
subsist  on  their  juices,  which  they  obtain  by  suction  through 
their  sharp  beaks.  They  are  easily  distinguished  from  other 
bugs  by  the  following  characters.  Eyelets  wanting ;  antennas 
four-jointed,  with  the  first  and  second  joints  much  thicker 
than  the  last  two,  which  are  very  slender  and  threadlike  ;  the 
head  short  and  triangular ;  the  body  oval,  flattened,  and  soft ; 
the  thorax  in  the  form  of  a  broad  triangle,  with  the  tip  of  the 
anterior  angle  cut  off,  and  the  broadest  side  applied  to  the 
base  of  the  wing-covers ;  the  latter,  when  folded,  cover  the 
whole  of  the  abdomen,  and  their  thin  portions  have  only  one 

[ !  Dr.  Harris  misquotes  Beauvois  for  this  Phytocoris ;  the  name  applied  by  that 
author  is  P.  linearis,  not  lineolaris.  —  UHLER.] 

•  This  new  genus,  or  sub-genus,  was  instituted  by  Fallen,  and  is  not  noticed  by 
Latreille  and  Laporte.  It  differs  ftom  Capsus  chiefly  in  having  a  smaller  head, 
and  the  thorax  wider  behind,  and  narrower  before,  than  in  the  latter  genus. 


THE    LITTLE-LINED    PLANT-BUG.  201 

or  two  little  veins  ;  the  legs  are  slender,  and  the  shanks  are 
bristled  with  little  points.  There  are,  in  Massachusetts,  a 
good  many  species  belonging  to  this  genus  ;  but,  in  my  Cata- 
logue of  the  insects  of  this  Commonwealth,  they  are  included 
among  the  species  of  Capsus,  which,  indeed,  they  closely  re- 
semble. 

The  Phytocoris  lineolaris  (Fig.  85),  or  little- 
lined  plant-bug,  measures  one  fifth  of  an  inch, 
or  rather  more,  in  length.  It  is  an  exceed- 
ingly variable  species.  The  males  are  gen- 
erally much  darker  than  the  females,  being 
very  deep  livid  brown  or  almost  black  above.  The  head 
is  yellowish,  with  three  narrow  longitudinal  reddish  stripes ; 
the  first  joint  of  the  antenna,  the  terminal  half  of  the  sec- 
ond, and  the  last  two  joints  are  blackish ;  the  beak  is  more 
than  one  third  the  whole  length  of  the  body,  when  folded 
beneath  the  breast,  extends  to  the  middle  pair  of  legs,  and 
is  of  a  yellowish  color,  ringed  with  black  ;  the  thorax,  or  that 
part  of  the  body  that  comes  immediately  behind  the  head,  is 
thickly  covered  with  punctures,  has  a  yellow  margin,  and  five 
longitudinal  yellow  lines  upon  it,  which  often  disappear  on  the 
back  part ;  the  scutel,  or  escutcheon,  a  small  triangular  piece 
behind  the  thorax,  and  interposed  between  the  bases  of  the 
wing-covers,  is  also  margined  with  yellow,  and  has  a  yellow 
spot  upon  it  in  the  form  of  the  letter  V,  which  is  often  imper- 
fect, so  that  only  three  small  yellow  spots  are  visible  in  the 
place  of  the  three  extremities  of  the  letter ;  the  thick  part  of 
the  wing-covers  is  brown,  with  the  outer  edge  and  the  longi- 
tudinal veins  sometimes  pale  or  yellowish,  and  behind  this 
thick  part  there  is  a  large  yellowish  spot,  on  the  posterior  tip 
of  which  is  a  small  black  point ;  the  thin  or  membranous  part 
of  the  wing-covers  is  shaded  with  dusky  clouds ;  the  under 
side  of  the  body  is  marked  with  a  yellowish  line  or  a  longitu- 
dinal series  of  yellow  spots  on  each  side  of  the  middle ;  the 
legs  are  dirty  brownish  yellow,  the  thighs  blackish  at  base, 
and  with  two  black  rings  near  the  tip,  and  the  extremities  of 
26 


HEMIPTEBA. 

the  feet  are  blackish.  The  females  are  most  often  of  a  pale 
olive-green,  or  of  a  dirty  greenish-yellow  color ;  the  thorax 
spotted  and  more  or  less  distinctly  striped  with  black,  and  the 
thick  part  of  the  wing-covers  also  variegated  with  dusky  or 
brownish  lines  and  clouds.  In  both  sexes,  however,  the  yel- 
low V,  or  the  three  spots  on  the  thorax,  and  the  large  yellow 
spot  tipped  with  black  on  the  wing-covers,  are  conspicuous 
characters,  which  readily  afford  the  means  of  identifying  the 
species.  I  have  taken  this  insect  in  the  spring,  as  early  as  the 
20th  of  April,  and  in  the  autumn,  as  late  as  the  middle  of 
October ;  from  which  I  infer  that  it  passes  the  winter  in  the 
perfect  state  in  some  place  of  security.  It  is  most  abundant 
during  the  months  of  June  and  July.  Specimens  have  been 
sent  to  me  from  Maine,  New  York,  North  Carolina,  and 
Alabama,  and  Mr.  Say  records  its  occurrence  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, Indiana,  the  Northwest  Territory,  and  Missouri.  It 
seems,  therefore,  to  be  very  generally  diffused  throughout 
the  Union. 

The  history  of  this  species  is  yet  imperfect.  We  know  not 
where  and  when  the  eggs  are  laid ;  the  young  have  not  been 
observed ;  and  the  insects,  during  the  early  periods  of  their 
existence,  have  escaped  notice,  and  are  only  known  to  us 
after  they  have  completed  their  final  transformations.  It  is 
possible  that  further  information  upon  the  history  of  these  in- 
sects may  afford  some  aid  in  devising  proper  remedies  against 
their  ravages.  Upon  a  limited  scale,  as  on  plants  growing  in 
our  gardens,  may  be  tried  the  effect  of  sprinkling  them  with 
alkaline  solutions,  such  as  strong  soap-suds,  or  potash-water, 
or  with  decoctions  of  tobacco  and  of  walnut-leaves,  or  of 
dusting  the  plants  with  air-slacked  lime  or  sulphur.  But  in 
field  husbandry  such  applications  would  be  impracticable.  I 
am  inclined  to  believe  that  nothing  will  prove  so  effectual  as 
thorough  irrigation,  or  copious  and  frequent  showers  of  rain, 
which  will  bring  forward  the  plants  with  such  rapidity,  that 
they  will  soon  become  so  strong  and  vigorous  as  to  withstand 
the  attacks  of  these  little  bugs.  The  great  increase  of  these 


HARVEST-FLIES.  203 

and  other  noxious  insects  may  fairly  be  attributed  to  the 
exterminating  war  which  has  wantonly  been  waged  upon 
our  insect-eating  birds,  and  we  may  expect  the  evil  to  in- 
crease unless  these  little  friends  of  the  farmer  are  protected, 
or  left  undisturbed  to  multiply,  and  follow  their  natural 
habits.  Meanwhile,  some  advantage  may  be  derived  from 
encouraging  the  breed  of  our  domestic  fowls.  A  flock  of 
young  chickens  or  turkeys,  if  suffered  to  go  at  large  in  a 
garden,  while  the  mother  is  confined  within  their  sight  and 
hearing,  under  a  suitable  crate  or  cage,  will  devour  great 
numbers  of  destructive  insects  ;  and  our  farmers  should  be 
urged  to  pay  more  attention  than  heretofore  to  the  rearing 
of  chickens,  young  turkeys,  and  ducks,  with  a  view  to  the 
benefits  to  be  derived  from  their  destruction  of  insects. 

II.     HARVEST-FLIES,  &c.     (Hemiptera  Homoptera.) 

By  many  entomologists  this  division  is  raised  to  the  rank 
of  a  separate  order,  under  the  name  of  HOMOPTERA  ;  but 
the  insects  arranged  in  it  are,  as  already  stated,  much  more 
like  the  true  HEMIPTERA,  or  bugs,  than  they  are  to  the  in- 
sects in  any  other  order,  which  shows  the  propriety  of  keeping 
these  two  divisions  together,  and  that  separately  they  hold 
only  a  subordinate  importance  compared  with  other  orders. 

The  insects  belonging  to  this  division  are  divided  by  nat- 
uralists into  three  large  groups,  or  tribes. 

1.  Harvest-flies,  or  Cicadians  (CICADAD.E)  ;  having  short 
antenna},  which  are  awl-shaped  or  tipped  with  a  little  bris- 
tle ;  wings  and  wing-covers,  in  both  sexes,  inclined  at  the 
sides  of  the  body ;  three  joints  to  their  feet ;  firm  and  hard 
skins  ;  and  in  which  the  females  have  a  piercer,  lodged  in 
a  furrow  beneath  the  extremity  of  the  body. 

2.  Plant-lice   (APHIDHXE)  ;  having  antenna?  longer  than 
the  head,   and  threadlike  or  tapering  from  the  root  to  the 
end  ;    wing-covers   and   wings   frequently   wanting    in    the 
females  ;  feet  two-jointed  ;  the  body  very  soft,  generally  fur- 
nished with  two  little  tubercles  at  the  end  ;  no  piercer  in  the 
females. 


204  HEMIPTERA. 

3.  Bark-lice  (CocciD^;)  ;  having  threadlike  or  tapering 
antenme,  longer  than  the  head  ;  the  males  alone  provided 
with  wings,  which  lie  horizontally  on  the  top  of  the  back  ; 
no  beak  in  this  sex ;  females  wingless,  but  furnished  with 
beaks  ;  the  feet  with  only  one  joint,  terminated  by  a  single 
claw  ;  skins  tolerably  firm  and  hard ;  two  slender  threads  at 
the  extremity  of  the  body  ;  no  piercer  in  the  females. 

1.   HARVEST-FLIES.     (Oicadadce.) 

The  most  remarkable  insects  in  this  group  are  those  to 
which  naturalists  now  apply  the  name  of  Cicada.  They  are . 
readily  distinguished  by  their  broad  heads,  the  large  and 
veiy  convex  eyes  on  each  side,  and  the  three  eyelets  on 
the  crown  ;  by  the  transparent  and  veined  wing-covers  and 
wings  ;  and  by  the  elevation  on  the  back  part  of  the  thorax 
in  the  form  of  the  letter  X.  The  males  have  a  peculiar 
organization,  which  enables  them  to  emit  an  excessively  loud 
buzzing  kind  of  sound,  which,  in  some  species,  may  be  heard 
at  the  distance  of  a  mile  ;  and  the  females  are  furnished  with 
a  curiously  contrived  piercer,  for  perforating  the  limbs  of 
trees,  in  which  they  place  their  eggs.  Without  attempting 
a  detailed  description  of  the  complicated  mechanism  of  these 
parts,  which  could  only  be  made  intelligible  by  means  of 
figures,  I  shall  merely  give  a  brief  and  general  account 
of  them,  which  may  suffice  for  the  present  occasion.  The 
musical  instruments  of  the  male  consist  of  a  pair  of  kettle- 
drums, one  on  each  side  of  the  body,  and  these,  in  the 
seventeen-year  Cicada  (or  locust  as  it  is  generally  but  im- 
properly called  in  America),  are  plainly  to  be  seen  just 
behind  the  wings.  These  drums  are  formed  of  convex 
pieces  of  parchment,  gathered  into  numerous  fine  plaits,  and, 
hi  the  species  above  named,  are  lodged  in  cavities  on  the 
sides  of  the  body  behind  the  thorax.  They  are  not  played 
upon  with  sticks,  but  by  muscles  or  cords  fastened  to  the 
inside  of  the  drums.  When  these  muscles  contract  and 
relax,  which  they  do  with  great  rapidity,  the  drum-heads 


THE    HARVEST-FLIES.  205 

are  alternately  tightened  and  loosened,  recovering  their  nat- 
ural convexity  by  their  own  elasticity.  The  effect  of  this 
rapid  alternate  tension  and  relaxation  is  the  production  of  a 
rattling  sound,  like  that  caused  by  a  succession  of  quick 
pressures  upon  a  slightly  convex  and  elastic  piece  of  tin 
plate.  Certain  cavities  within  the  body  of  the  insect,  which 
may  be  seen  on  raising  two  large  valves  beneath  the  belly, 
and  which  are  separated  from  each  other  by  thin  partitions 
having  the  transparency  and  brilliancy  of  mica,  or  of  thin 
and  highly  polished  glass,  tend  to  increase  the  vibrations  of 
the  sounds,  and  add  greatly  to  their  intensity.  In  most  of 
our  species  of  Cicada  the  drums  are  not  visible  on  the  out- 
side of  the  body,  but  are.  covered  by  convex  triangular 
pieces  on  each  side  of  the  first  ring  behind  the  thorax,  which 
must  be  cut  away  in  order  to  expose  them.  On  raising  the 
large  valves  of  the  belly,  however,  there  is  seen,  close  to 
each  side  of  the  body,  a  little  opening,  like  a  pocket,  in 
which  the  drum  is  lodged,  and  from  which  the  sound  issues 
when  the  insect  opens  the  valves.  The  hinder  extremity 
of  the  body  of  the  female  is  conical,  and  the  under  side 
has  a  longitudinal  channel  for  the  reception  of  the  piercer, 
which  is  furthermore  protected  by  four  short  grooved  pieces 
fixed  in  the  sides  of  the  channel.  The  piercer  itself  consists 
of  three  parts  in  close  contact  with  each  other ;  namely,  two 
outer  ones  grooved  on  the  inside  and  enlarged  at  the  tips, 
which  externally  are  beset  with  small  teeth  like  a  saw,  and  a 
central,  spear-pointed  borer,  which  plays  between  the  other 
two.  Thus  this  instrument  has  the  power  and  does  the  work 
both  of  an  awl  and  of  a  double-edged  saw,  or  rather  of  two 
key-hole  saws  cutting  opposite  to  each  other.  No  species  of 
Cicada  possesses  the  power  of  leaping.  The  legs  are  rather 
short,  and  the  anterior  thighs  are  armed  beneath  with  two 
stout  spines. 

The  duration  of  life  in  winged  insects  is  comparatively 
very  short,  seldom  exceeding  two  or  three  weeks  in  extent, 
and  in  many  is  limited  to  the  same  number  of  days  or  hours. 


206  HEMIPTERA. 

To  increase  and  multiply  is  their  principal  business  in  this 
period  of  their  existence,  if  not  the  only  one,  and  the  natural 
term  of  their  life  ends  when  this  is  accomplished.  In  their 
previous  states,  however,  they  often  pass  a  much  longer  time, 
the  length  of  which  depends,  in  great  measure,  upon  the 
nature  and  abundance  of  their  food.  Thus  maggots,  which 
subsist  upon  decaying  animal  or  vegetable  matter,  come  more 
quickly  to  their  growth  than  caterpillars  and  other  insects 
which  devour  living  plants ;  the  former  are  appointed  to 
remove  an  offensive  nuisance,  and  do  their  work  quickly ; 
the  latter  have  a  longer  time  assigned  to  them,  corresponding 
in  some  degree  to  the  progress  or  continuance  of  vegetation. 
The  facilities  afforded  for  obtaining  food  influence  the  dura- 
tion of  life ;  hence  those  grubs  that  live  in  the  solid  trunks 
of  perennial  trees,  which  they  are  obliged  to  perforate  in 
order  to  obtain  nourishment,  are  longer  lived  than  those  that 
devour  the  tender  parts  of  leaves  and  fruits,  which  last  only 
for  a  season,  and  require  no  laborious  efforts  to  be  prepared 
for  food.  The  harvest-flies  continue  only  a  few  weeks  after 
their  final  transformation,  and  their  only  nourishment  consists 
of  vegetable  juices,  which  they  obtain  by  piercing  the  bark 
and  leaves  of  plants  with  their  beaks  ;  and  during  this  period 
they  lay  their  eggs,  and  then  perish.  They  are,  however, 
amply  compensated  for  the  shortness  of  their  life  in  the 
winged  state  by  the  length  of  their  previous  existence,  during 
which  they  are  wingless  and  grub-like  in  form,  and  live 
under  ground,  where  they  obtain  their  food  only  by  much 
labor  in  perforating  the  soil  among  the  roots  of  plants,  the 
juices  of  which  they  imbibe  by  suction.  To  meet  the  diffi- 
culties of  their  situation  and  the  precarious  supply  of  their 
food,  for  which  they  have  to  grope  in  the  dark  in  their 
subterranean  retreats,  a  remarkable  longevity  is  assigned 
to  them ;  and  one  species  has  obtained  the  name  of  Cicada 
tytendecim,  on  account  of  its  life  being  protracted  to  the 
period  of  seventeen  years. 

This  insect  has  been  observed  in  the  southeastern  parts  of 


THE    CICADA    SEPTENDECIM. 

Massachusetts,  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut  River,  as 
far  north  at  least  as  Hadley ;  but  does  not  seem  to  have  ex- 
tended to  other  parts  of  the  State.  The  earliest  account  that 
we  have  of  it  is  contained  in  Morton's  "  Memorial,"  wherein 
it  is  stated  that  "  there  was  a  numerous  company  of  flies, 
which  were  like  for  bigness  unto  wasps  or  bumblebees," 
which  appeared  in  Plymouth  in  the  spring  of  1633.  "  They 
came  out  of  little  holes  in  the  ground,  and  did  eat  up  the 
green  things,  and  made  such  a  constant  yelling  noise  as  made 
the  woods  ring  of  them,  and  ready  to  deafen  the  hearers." 
Judge  Davis,  in  the  Appendix  to  his  edition  of  Secretary 
Morton's  "  Memorial,"  states  that  these  insects  appeared  in 
Plymouth,  Sandwich,  and  Falmouth,  in  the  year  1804 ;  but, 
if  the  exact  period  of  seventeen  years  had  been  observed, 
they  should  have  returned  m  1803.  Circumstances  may 
occasionally  retard  or  accelerate  their  progress  to  maturity, 
but  the  usual  interval  is  certainly  seventeen  years,  accord- 
ing to  the  observations  and  testimony  of  many  persons  of 
undoubted  veracity.  Their  occurrence  in  large  swarms  at 
long  intervals,  like  that  of  the  migratory  locusts  of  the  East, 
probably  suggested  the  name  of  locusts,  which  has  commonly 
been  applied  to  them  in  this  country.  The  following  extract 
from  a  letter  *  from  the  late  Rev.  Ezra  Shaw  Goodwin,  of 
Sandwich,  contains  some  interesting  particulars  which'  this 
gentleman  had  the  kindness  to  communicate  to  me. 

"  I  have  not  been  unmindful  of  what  you  said  to  me  re- 
specting the  locust  insects,  nor  of  the  promise  I  made  you 
with  respect  to  them.  They  appeared  in  this  town  in  the 
year  1821,  in  the  middle  of  June.  Their  last  previous  ap- 
pearance was  in  1804,  and  their  last,  previous  to  that,  was 
in  1787.  I  ascertained  these  periods  from  the  statements 
of  individuals,  who  remembered  that  it  was  locust-year 
when  this  or  that  event  occurred ;  as,  when  this  one  was 
married,  or  that  one's  eldest  son  was  born ;  events,  the  date 
of  which  the  husband  or  the  parent  would  not  be  very  likely 

*  Dated  October  19, 1832. 


208  HEMIPTERA. 

to  forget.  The  remembrance  of  all,  though  fixed  by  differ- 
ent events,  concurred  in  establishing  the  same  years  for  the 
appearance  of  the  locusts. 

"  I  first  took  notice  of  them  in  1821,  on  the  17th  of  June, 
from  their  noise.  They  appeared  chiefly  in  the  forests,  or 
in  thickets  of  forest-trees,  principally  oak.  Their  nearest 
distance  from  my  dwelling  cannot  be  far  from  a  mile ;  yet, 
at  a  still  hour,  their  music  was  distinctly  heard  there.  On 
going  to  visit  them,  I  found  the  oak-trees  and  bushes  swarm- 
ing with  them  in  a  winged  state.  They  came  up  out  of  the 
ground  a  creeping  insect.  Very  soon  after  they  had  ar- 
rived on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  the  skin,  or  rather  the 
shell  of  the  insect,  burst  upon  the  back,  and  the  winged 
insect  came  forth,  leaving  the  skin  or  shell  upon  the  earth, 
in  a  perfect  form,  and  uninjured,  saving  at  the  rupture  on 
the  back ;  showing  an  entire  withdrawing  of  the  living  ani- 
mal, as  much  so  as  does  the  snake's  skin  after  he  has  left  it. 
Thus  these  skins  lay  in  immense  numbers  under  the  trees, 
entirely  empty,  and  perfect  in  shape.  The  winged  insects 
did  not,  so  far  as  I  could  ascertain,  eat  anything.  Motion 
and  propagation  appeared  to  be  the  whole  object  of  their 
existence.  They  continued  about  four  or  five  weeks,  and 
then  died."  Previous  to  this  event  "  the  females  laid  their 
eggs  in  the  tender  parts  of  oak  branches,  near  the  extremi- 
ties, making  a  longitudinal  furrow,  and  depositing  rows 
of  eggs  therein  (Fig.  86).  They  then  sawed  the  branch 
partly  off  below  the  eggs,  so  that  the  wind  could  twist  off 
the  extreme  part  containing  the  eggs,  and  let  it  fall  to  the 
ground.  In  this  way  they  injured  the  trees  extensively. 
The  forest  had  a  gloomy  appearance  from  the  number  of 
these  extremities  partially  twisted  off,  and  hanging,  with 
their  dead  leaves,  ready  to  fall.  In  a  few  weeks  they  were 
nearly  all  separated  from  the  trees,  and  carried  their  vital 
burdens  to  the  earth,  which  was,  certainly,  well  seeded  for 
a  harvest  in  1838.  I  know  of  no  other  damage  which  they 
did I  believe  the  locusts  appear  in  different  places,  in 


THE    SEVENTEEN-YEAR    CICADA. 


209 


different  years,  and  understand  that  the  locust-year,  in 'some 
places  not   far  distant, 
is  different   from  their 
year  in  this  town." 

This  letter  was  ac- 
companied by  specimens 
of  the  insects,  in  their 
various  states,  obtained 
and  preserved  by  Mr. 
Goodwin. 

The  writer  of  an  ar- 
ticle in  the  "  Boston 
Magazine  "  for  Novem- 
ber, 1784,  observes  that 
Mr.  Morton  must  have 
been  mistaken  as  to  these 
insects,  in  saying  that 
they  eat  up  the  green 
things,  which  from  the 
structure  of  their  mouths 
we  now  know  could  not 
have  been  the  case. 
This  writer  also  records 
the  appearance  of  these  insects  in  1784,  and  the  place  of 
his  residence,  in  which  this  occurred,  is  believed  to  have 
been  in  the  County  of  Bristol ;  which  coincides  with  the 
remark  made  by  Mr.  Goodwin,  that  in  different  places  they 
appear  in  different  years.  This  remark  is  furthermore  con- 
firmed by  the  observations  of  various  persons  *  who  have 

*  Among  the  authorities  which  I  have  consulted  upon  the  history  of  the  seven- 
teen-year Cicada,  may  be  mentioned  the  Rev.  Andrew  Sandel,  of  Philadelphia, 
an  abstract  of  whose  account  is  given  in  the  4th  vol.  of  Mitchill  and  Miller's 
"  Medical  Repository,"  p.  71 ;  the  "  Columbian  Magazine,"  Vol.  I.,  pages  86  and 
108;  Mr.  Moses  Bartram's  account  in  Dodsley's  "Annual  Register"  for  1767, 
p.  103;  Dr.  McMurtrie,  in  the  8th  vol.  of  the  "Encyclopaedia  Americana,"  p.  43; 
Dr.  S.  P.  Hildreth's  interesting  account  in  the  10th  vol.  of  Silliman's  "  American 
Journal  of  Science,"  p.  327;  and  a  pamphlet  entitled  "Notes  on  the  Locusta," 
&c.,  with  which  I  have  been  favored  by  the  author,  Professor  Nathaniel  Potter, 
27 


210  HEMIPTERA. 

published  accounts  of  the  occurrence  of  these  insects  in  the 
Middle,  Southern,  and  Western  States,  where,  at  regular  in- 
tervals of  seventeen  years,  varying  according  to  the  locality, 
they  are  seen  even  in  greater  abundance  than  in  Massachu- 
setts. The  following  dates  and  places  of  their  ascent  are 
given  in  Professor  Potter's  "  Notes  on  the  Locusta  decem 
Septima "  ( Cicada  septendecim)  :  Maryland,  1749,  1766, 
1783,  1800,  1817,  1834 ;  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  1817, 
1834 ;  Middlesex  County,  New  Jersey,  1826 ;  Louisiana, 
1829 ;  Gallipolis,  Ohio,  1821,  and  Muskingum,  1829 ;  west- 
em  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  1832 ;  Fall  River,  Massachusetts, 
1834.  To  these  may  be  added  from  other  sources,  Penn- 
sylvania, 1715,  1766,  1783,  1800,  1817 ;  *  Marietta,  Ohio, 
1795,  1812 ;  Plymouth,  1633, 1804 ;  Sandwich,  1787,  1804, 
1821 ;  Hadley,  1818 ;  Westfield,  1835 ;  North  Haven,  Conn., 
1724,  1741,  1758,  1792,  1809,  1826,  1843;  Genesee  Coun- 
ty, New  York,  1832;  Martha's  Vineyard,  1833.  From 
information  derived  from  various  sources  it  appears  that  this 
species  is  widely  spread  over  the  country,  with  the  exception 
only  of  the  northern  parts  of  New  England ;  and  that  it 
may  be  seen  in  some  portion  of  the  United  States  almost 
every  year ;  and,  although  certain  disturbing  causes  may 
occasionally  accelerate  or  retard  the  return  of  individuals, 
or  even  of  an  entire  swarm,  in  any  one  place,  yet  the  lineal 
descendants  of  one  particular  family  or  swarm  will  ordina- 
rily come  forth  only  once  in  seventeen  years,  while  those 
of  other  swarms  may  appear,  after  equally  regular  intervals, 
in  the  intervening  period,  in  other  places. 

of  Baltimore.  This  last  work  is  exclusively  devoted  to  the  history  of  this  insect, 
and  has  afforded  me  much  valuable  information.  From  these  various  sources  I 
have  selected  the  principal  facts  which  follow.  Mr.  Collins's  "  Observations  on 
the  Cicada  of  North  America,"  published  in  the  "  Philosophical  Transactions"  of 
London,  Vol.  LIV.  p.  65,  with  a  plate,  probably  refer  to  the  seventeen-year  Cica- 
da, but  the  insects  figured  are  not  the  same,  and  seem  to  be  the  Cicada  pruinosa 
of  Mr.  Say. 

•  A  writer  in  the  "  United  States  Gazette  "  records  the  appearance  of  these 
insects  in  great  numbers  in  Germantown,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  Zbth  of  May,  at 
four  successive  periods. 


THE    SEVENTEEN-YEAR    CICADA.  211 

The  seventeen-year  Cicada  (Cicada  septendecim  of  Lin- 
naeus), (Plate  III.  Fig.  7,)  in  the  winged  state,  is  of  a 
black  color,  with  transparent  wings  and  wing-covers,  the 
thick  anterior  edge  and  larger  veins  of  which  are  orange-red, 
and  near  the  tips  of  the  latter  there  is  a  dusky  zigzag  line 
in  the  form  of  the  letter  W ;  the  eyes  when  living  are  also 
red ;  the  rings  of  the  body  are  edged  with  dull  orange ; 
and  the  legs  are  of  the  same  color.  The  wings  expand 
from  2£  to  3£  inches. 

In  those  parts  of  Massachusetts  which  are  subject  to  the 
visitation  of  this  Cicada,  it  may  be  seen  in  forests  of  oak 
about  the  middle  of  June.  Here  such  immense  numbers 
are  sometimes  congregated,  as  to  bend  and  even  break  down 
the  limbs  of  the  trees  by  their  weight,  and  the  woods  re- 
sound with  the  din  of  their  discordant  drums  from  morning 
to  evening.  After  pairing,  the  females  proceed  to  prepare 
a  nest  for  the  reception  of  their  eggs.  They  select,  for  this 
purpose,  branches  of  a  moderate  size,  which  they  clasp  on 
both  sides  with  their  legs,  and  then,  bending  down  the  piercer 
at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  degrees,  they  repeatedly  thrust 
it  obliquely  into  the  bark  and  wood  in  the  direction  of  the 
fibres,  at  the  same  time  putting  in  motion  the  lateral  saws, 
and  in  this  way  detach  little  splinters  of  the  wood  at  one 
end,  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of  fibrous  lid  or  cover  to  the 
perforation.  The  hole  is  bored  obliquely  to  the  pith,  and 
is  gradually  enlarged  by  a  repetition  of  the  same  operation, 
till  a  longitudinal  fissure  is  formed  of  sufficient  extent  to 
receive  from  ten  to  twenty  eggs.  The  side-pieces  of  the 
piercer  serve  as  a  groove  to  convey  the  eggs  into  the  nest, 
where  they  are  deposited  in  pairs,  side  by  side,  but  separated 
from  each  other  by  a  portion  of  woody  fibre,  and  they  are 
implanted  into  the  limb  somewhat  obliquely,  so  that  one  end 
points  upwards.  When  two  eggs  have  been  thus  placed, 
the  insect  withdraws  the  piercer  for  a  moment,  and  then 
inserts  it  again  and  drops  two  more  eggs  in  a  line  with  the 
first,  and  repeats  the  operation  till  she  has  filled  the  fissure 


212  HEMIPTERA. 

from  one  end  to  the  other,  upon  which  she  removes  to  a 
little  distance,  and  begins  to  make  another  nest  to  contain 
two  more  rows  of  eggs.  She  is  about  fifteen  minutes  in 
preparing  a  single  nest  and  filling  it  with  eggs ;  but  it  is 
not  unusual  for  her  to  make  fifteen  or  twenty  fissures  in  the 
same  limb;  and  one  observer  counted  fifty  nests  extending 
along  in  a  line,  each  containing  fifteen  or  twenty  eggs  in 
two  rows,  and  all  of  them  apparently  the  work  of  one  in- 
sect.* After  one  limb  is  thus  sufficiently  stocked,  the  Cicada 
goes  to  another,  and  passes  from  limb  to  limb  and  from  tree 
to  tree,  till  her  store,  which  consists  of  four  or  five  hundred 
eggs,  is  exhausted.  At  length  she  becomes  so  weak  by  her 
incessant  labors  to  provide  for  a  succession  of  her  kind,  as 
to  falter  and  fall  in  attempting  to  fly,  and  soon  dies. 

Although  the  Cicadas  abound  most  upon  the  oak,  they 
resort  occasionally  to  other  forest-trees,  and  even  to  shrubs, 
when  impelled  by  the  necessity  for  depositing  their  eggs,  and 
not  unfrequently  commit  them  to  fruit-trees,  when  the  latter 
are  in  their  vicinity.  Indeed  there  seem  to  be  no  trees  or 
shrubs  that  are  exempted  from  their  attacks,  except  those  of 
the  pine  and  fir  tribes,  and  of  these  even  the  white  cedar  is 
sometimes  invaded  by  them.  The  punctured  limbs  languish 
and  die  soon  after  the  eggs  which  are  placed  in  them  are 
hatched ;  they  are  broken  by  the  winds  or  by  their  own 
weight,  and  either  remain  hanging  by  the  bark  alone,  or  fall 
with  their  withered  foliage  to  the  ground.  In  this  way 
orchards  have  suffered  severely  in  consequence  of -the  in- 
jurious punctures  of  these  insects. 

The  eggs  are  one  twelfth  of  an  inch  long,  and  one  six- 
teenth of  an  inch  through  the  middle,  but  taper  at  each 
end  to  an  obtuse  point,  and  are  of  a  pearl-white  color.  The 
shell  is  so  thin  and  delicate  that  the  form  of  the  included 
insect  can  be  seen  before  the  egg  is  hatched,  which  occurs, 
according  to  Dr.  Potter,  in  fifty-two  days  after  it  is  laid,  but 

*  See  also  my  communication  in  Downiug's   Horticulturist,  Vol.  III.  p.  278, 
Doc.,  1848. 


THE    SEVENTEEN-YEAR    CICADA.  213 

Miss  Morris  says  in  forty-two  days,  and  other  persons  say  in 
fourteen  days. 

The  young  insect  when  it  bursts  the  shell  is  one  sixteenth 
of  an  inch  long,  and  is  of  a  yellowish-white  color,  except  the 
eyes  and  the  claws  of  the  fore  legs,  which  are  reddish ;  and 
it  is  covered  with  little  hairs.  In  form  it  is  somewhat  grub- 
like,  being  longer  in  proportion  than  the  parent  insect,  and  is 
furnished  with  six  legs,  the  first  pair  of  which  are  very  large, 
shaped  almost  like  lobster-claws,  and  armed  with  strong 
spines  beneath.  On  the  shoulders  are  little  prominences  in 
the  place  of  wings ;  and  under  the  breast  is  a  long  beak  for 
suction.  These  little  creatures  when  liberated  from  the  shell 
are  very  lively,  and  their  movements  are  nearly  as  quick  as 
those  of  ants.  After  a  few  moments  their  instincts  prompt 
them  to  get  to  the  ground,  but  in  order  to  reach  it  they  do 
not  descend  the  body  of  the  tree,  neither  do  they  cast  off 
themselves  precipitately  ;  but,  running  to  the  side  of  the  limb, 
they  deliberately  loosen  their  hold,  and  fall  to  the  earth.  It 
seems,  then,  that  they  are  not  borne  to  the  ground  in  the 
egg  state  by  the  limbs  in  which  their  nests  are  contained,  but 
spontaneously  make  the  perilous  descent,  immediately  after 
they  are  hatched,  without  any  clew, 'like  that  of  the  canker- 
worm,  to  carry  them  in  safety  through  the  air  and  break 
the  force  of  their  fall.  The  instinct  which  impels  them 
thus  fearlessly  to  precipitate  themselves  from  the  trees,  from 
heights  of  which  they  can  have  formed  no  conception,  with- 
out any  experience  or  knowledge  of  the  result  of  their  adven- 
turous leap,  is  still  more  remarkable  than  that  which  carries 
the  gosling  to  the  water  as  soon  as  it  is  hatched.  In  those 
actions  that  are  the  result  of  foresight,  of  memory,  or  of 
experience,  animals  are  controlled  by  their  own  reason,  as 
in  those  to  which  they  are  led  by  the  use  of  their  ordinary 
senses,  or  by  the  indulgence  of  their  common  appetites,  they 
may  be  said  to  be  governed  by  the  laws  of  their  organization  ; 
but  in  such  as  arise  from  special  and  extraordinary  instincts, 
we  see  the  most  striking  proofs  of  that  creative  wisdom 


214 


HEMIPTERA. 


which  has  implanted  in  them  an  unerring  guide,  where  rea- 
son, the  senses,  and  the  appetites  would  fail  to  direct  them. 
The  manner  of  the  young  Cicadas'  descent,  so  different  from 
that  of  other  insects,  and  seeming  to  require  a  special  in- 
stinct to  this  end,  would  be  considered  incredible,  perhaps, 
if  it  had  not  been  ascertained  and  repeatedly  confirmed  by 
persons  who  have  witnessed  the  proceeding.  On  reaching 
the  ground  the  insects  immediately  bury  themselves  in  the 
soil,  burrowing  by  means  of  their  broad  and  strong  fore  feet, 
which,  like  those  of  the  mole,  are  admirably  adapted  for  dig- 
ging. In  their  descent  into  the  earth  they  seem  to  follow  the 

Fig.  87 


roots  of  plants,  and  are  subsequently  found  attached  to  those 
which  are  most  tender  and  succulent,  perforating  them  with 
their  beaks,  and  thus  imbibing  the  vegetable  juices  which 
constitute  their  sole  nourishment.  (Fig.  87.) 

Miss  Margaretta  H.  Morris,  who  attributes  the  decline  of 
the  pear-tree  and  the  failure  of  its  fruits  to  depredations  of 
the  young  Cicadas  on  its  roots,  has  given  interesting  accounts 

of  her  observations  upon  these  insects.     On  removing  the 

. 

earth  from  "  a  pear-tree  that  had  been  declining  for  years, 
without  any  apparent  cause,"  she  "  found  the  larvas  of  the 
Cicada  in  countless  numbers  clinmno;  to  the  roots  of  the  tree, 

•    1  » 

with  their  suckers  piercing  the  bark,  and  so  deep  and  firmly 
placed,  that  they  remained  hamnng  for  half  an  hour  after 

, 

being  removed  from  the  earth.     From  a  root  a  yard  long, 


THE    SEVENTEEN-YEAR    CICADA.  215 

and  about  an  inch  in  diameter,  she  gathered  twenty-three 
larvae ;  they  were  of  various  sizes,  from  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
to  an  inch  in  length.  They  were  on  all  the  roots  that  grew 
deeper  than  six  inches  below  the  surface.  The  roots  were 
unhealthy,  and  bore  the  appearance  of  external  injury  from 
small  punctures.  On  removing  the  outer  coat  of  bark,  this 
appearance  increased,  leaving  ri8  doubt  as  to  the  cause  of  the 
disease."  * 

The  grubs  do  not  appear  ordinarily  to  descend  very  deeply 
into  the  ground,  but  remain  where  roots  are  most  abundant ; 
and  it  is  probable  that  the  accounts  of  their  having  been  dis- 
covered ten  or  twelve  feet  from  the  top  of  the  ground  have 
been  founded  on  some  mistake,  or  the  occurrence  of  the 
insects  at  such  a  depth  may  have  been  the  result  of  accident. 
The  only  alteration  to  which  the  insects  are  subject,  during 
the  long  period  of  their  subterranean  confinement,  is  an 
increase  of  size,  and  the  more  complete  development  of  the 
four  small  scale-like  prominences  on  their  backs,  which  rep- 
resent and  actually  contain  their  future  wings. 

As  the  time  of  their  transformation  approaches,  they  grad- 
ually ascend  towards  the  surface,  making  in  their  progress 
cylindrical  passages,  oftentimes  very  circuitous,  and  seldom 
exactly  perpendicular,  the  sides  of  which,  according  to  Dr. 
Potter,  are  firmly  cemented  and  varnished  so  as  to  be  water- 
proof. These  burrows  are  about  five  eighths  of  an  inch  in 
diameter,  are  filled  below  with  earthy  matter  removed  by  the 
insect  in  its  progress,  and  can  be  traced  by  the  color  and 
compactness  of  their  contents  to  the  depth  of  from  one  to  two 
feet,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  soil ;  but  the  upper  por- 
tion to  the  extent  of  six  or  eight  inches  is  empty,  and  serves 
as  a  habitation  for  the  insect  till  the  period  for  its  exit  arrives. 
Here  it  remains  during  several  days,  ascending  to  the  top  of 
the  hole  in  fine  weather  for  the  benefit  of  the  warmth  and 
the  air,  and  occasionally  peeping  forth,  apparently  to  recon- 

*  Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  Nov.  and 
Dec.,  1846 ;  and  Downing's  Horticulturist,  Vol.  II.  p.  16,  July,  1847. 


210  HEMIPTERA. 

noitre,  but  descending  again  on  the  occurrence  of  cold  or  wet 
weather. 

During  their  temporary  residence  in  these  burrows  near 
the  surface,  the  Cicada  grubs,  or  more  properly  pupas,  for 
such  they  are  to  be  considered  at  this  period,  though  they 
still  retain  something  of  a  gruj)-like  form,  acquire  strength  for 
further  efforts  by  'exposure  to  the  light  and  air,  and  seem  then 
only  to  wait  for  a  favorable  moment  to  issue  from  their  sub- 
terranean retreats.  When  at  length  this  arrives,  they  issue 
from  the  ground  in  great  numbers  in  the  night,  crawl  up  the 
trunks  of  trees,  or  upon  any  other  object  in  their  vicinity  to 
which  they  can  fasten  themselves  securely  by  their  claws. 
After  having  rested  awhile,  they  prepare  to  cast  off  their 
skins,  which,  in  the  mean  time,  have  become  dry  and  of  an 
amber  color.  By  repeated  exertions,  a  longitudinal  rent  is 
made  in  the  skin  of  the  back,  and  through  this  the  included 
Cicada  pushes  its  head  and  body,  and  withdraws  its  wings 
and  limbs  from  their  separate  cases,  and,  crawling  to  a  little 
distance,  it  leaves  its  empty  pupa-skin,  apparently  entire,  still 
fastened  to  the  tree.  At  first  the  wing-covers  and  wings  are 
very  small  and  opaque,  but,  being  perfectly  soft  and  flexible, 
they  soon  stretch  out  to  their  full  dimensions,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  hours  the  superfluous  moisture  of  the  body 
evaporates,  and  the  insect  becomes  strong  enough  to  fly. 

During  several  successive  nights  the  pupse  continue  to 
issue  from  the  earth  ;  above  fifteen  hundred  have  been  found 
to  arise  beneath  a  single  apple-tree,  and  in  some  places  the 
whole  surface  of  the  soil,  by  their  successive  operations,  has 
appeared  as  full  of  holes  as  a  honeycomb.  In  Alabama  the 
species  under  consideration  leaves  the  ground  in  February 
and  March,  in  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania  in  May,  but  in 
Massachusetts  it  does  not  come  forth  till  near  the  middle  of 
June.  Within  about  a  fortnight  after  their  final  transforma- 
tion they  begin  to  lay  their  eggs,  and  in  the  space  of  six 
weeks  the  whole  generation  becomes  extinct. 

Fortunately  these  insects  are  appointed  to  return  only  at 


THE    DOG-DAY    HARVEST-FLY.  217 

periods  so  distant  that  vegetation  often  has  time  to  recover 
from  the  injury  inflicted  by  them ;  but  were  they  to  appear 
at  shorter  intervals,  our  forest  and  fruit  trees  would  soon  be 
entirely  destroyed  by  them.  They  are  moreover  subject  to 
many  accidents,  and  have  many  enemies,  which  contribute  to 
diminish  their  numbers.  Their  eggs  are  eaten  by  birds  ;  the 
young,  when  they  first  issue  from  the  shell,  are  preyed  upon 
by  ants,  which  mount  the  trees  to  feed  upon  them,  or  destroy 
them  when  they  are  about  to  enter  the  ground.  Blackbirds 
eat  them  when  turned  up  by  the  plough  in  fields,  and  hogs 
are  excessively  fond  of  them,  and,  when  suffered  to  go  at 
large  in  the  woods,  root  them  up,  and  devour  immense 
numbers  just  before  the  arrival  of  the  period  of  their  final 
transformation,  when  they  are  lodged  immediately  under 
the  surface  of  the  soil.  It  is  stated  that  many  perish  in  the 
egg  state,  by  the  rapid  growth  of  the  bark  and  wood,  which 
closes  the  perforations  and  buries  the  eggs  before  they  have 
hatched ;  and  many,  without  doubt,  are  killed  by  their  peril- 
ous descent  from  the  trees. 

There  are  several  other  harvest-flies  in  the  United  States, 
the  males  of  which  are  musical ;  but  their  drums  are  con- 
cealed within  little  cavities  in  the  sides  of  the  first  abdominal 
ring.  One  of  these  is  found  in  Massachusetts,  and,  though  it 

O  '      •  J  O 

never  appears  in  such  great  numbers  as  the  preceding  species, 
it  is  more  common  or  more  generally  met  with  throughout 
the  State.  It  may  be  called  the  dog-day  harvest-fly  ^  or 
Cicada  canicularis  (Fig.  88),  from  the  circumstance  of  its  in- 
variably appearing  with  the  beginning  of  dog-days.  During 
many  years  in  succession,  with  only  one  or  two  exceptions, 
I  have  heard  this  insect,  on  the  25th  of  July,  for  the  first 
time  in  the  season,  drumming  in  the  trees,  on  some  part  of 
the  day  between  the  hours  of  ten  in  the  morning  and  two 
in  the  afternoon.  It  is  true  that  all  do  not  muster  on  the 
same  day ;  for  at  first  they  are  few  in  number,  and  scattered 
at  great  distances  from  each  other ;  new-comers,  however, 
are  added  from  day  to  day,  till,  in  a  short  time,  almost  every 
28 


218  HEMIPTKRA. 

tree  seems  to  have  its  musician,  and  the  rolling  of  their 
drums  may  be  heard  in  every  direction.  This  circumstance, 
however,  does  not  render  it  any  the  less  remarkable  that  the 
first  of  the  band  should  keep  their  appointed  time  with  such 
extreme  regularity.  The  dog-day  harvest-fly  measures  about 
one  inch  and  six  tenths  from  the  front  to  the  tips  of  the 
wing-covers,  which,  when  spread,  expand  about  three  inches. 


Its  body  is  black  on  the  upper  side ;  the  under  side  of  the 
head,  the  breast,  and  the  sides  of  the  belly  are  covered  with 
a  white  substance  resembling  flour ;  the  top  of  the  head  and 
the  thorax  are  ornamented  with  olive-green  lines  and  char- 
acters, one  of  which,  in  the  shape  of  the  letter  W,  is  very 
conspicuous  ;  the  legs,  and  the  front  edge  and  principal  veins 
of  the  wing-covers  and  of  the  wings  are  also  green,  and  there 
is  a  dusky  zigzag  spot  on  the  little  cross-veins  near  the  tip 
of  the  wing-covers ;  and  the  valves  beneath  the  body  of  the 
males  are  wider  than  long.  This  species  has  heretofore 
been  mistaken  for  the  Cicada  pruinosa,  or  frosted  harvest-fly, 
described  by  Mr.  Say,  which  is  found  in  the  Middle  States, 
measures  two  inches  to  the  tips  of  the  wing-covers,  has  a 
white  spot  each  side  of  the  base  of  the  abdomen,  a  second  on 
the  middle  of  the  sides,  and  a  third  near  to  the  tip,  and  has 
the  valves  of  the  males  longer  than  wide.*  I  am  not  aware 

*  The  form  and  proportions  of  the  abdominal  valves  have  decided  me  to  sepa- 
rate the  •iiuicid<iri»  from  Mr.  Say's prvinosa,  although,  with  the  exception  of  their 
difference  in  size,  they  present  no  other  constant  characters  which  will  invariably 


THE    HARVEST-FLIES.  219 

that  the  females  of  the  dog-day  harvest-fly  prefer  to  lay  their 
eggs  in  one  rather  than  in  another  kind  of  tree ;  for  I  have 
taken  the  pupae  emerging  from  the  ground  beneath  cherry, 
maple,  and  elm  trees,  and  it  is  probable  that  they  could  not 
have  travelled  far  from  the  trees  upon  which,  when  young, 
they  were  hatched,  and  upon  the  trunks  of  which  they  finally 
leave  their  vacant  shells.  These  have  much  the  same  form 
and  appearance  as  the  pupa-shells  of  the  seventeen-year  har- 
vest-fly, but  are  considerably  larger.  Some  individuals  of 
this  species  continue  with  us  as  late  as  the  end  of  September. 
As  they  are  not  very  numerous,  the  injury  sustained  by  the 
trees  from  their  punctures  is  comparatively  small. 

The  other  harvest-flies  of  this  country  have  only  two  eye- 
lets, and  are  not  furnished  with  musical  instruments ;  but 
they  enjoy  the  faculty  of  leaping,  which  the  Cicadas  do  not. 
This  faculty  does  not,  as  in  the  grasshoppers  and  other  leap- 
ing insects,  result  from  an  enlargement  of  their  hindmost 
thighs,  which  do  not  differ  much  in  thickness  from  the 
others ;  but  is  owing  to  the  length  of  their  hindmost  shanks, 
or  to  the  bristles  and  spines  with  which  these  parts  are 
clothed  and  tipped.  These  spines  serve  to  fix  the  hind 
legs  securely  to  the  surface,  and,  when  the  insect  suddenly 
unbends  its  legs,  its  body  is  launched  forward  in  the  air. 
Some  of  these  harvest-flies,  when  assisted  by  their  wings, 
will  leap  to  the  distance  of  five  or  six  feet,  which  is  more 
than  two  hundred  and  fifty  times  their  own  length ;  in  the 

serve  to  distinguish  them  from  each  other.2  In  my  collection  are  four  more  na- 
tive species  of  Cicada;  namely,  the  auletes  of  Germar,  our  largest  species,  from 
North  Carolina;  a  second  species,  apparently  undescribed,  about  equal  to  this  in 
magnitude,  from  Long  Island,  New  York ;  the  tibicen  of  Linnaeus,  also  from  New 
York,  and  quite  common  even  within  the  city;  and  the  hieroglyphica  of  Say, 
which,  I  believe,  was  captured  in  Florida,  and  was  presented  to  me  by  Mr.  Ed- 
ward Doubleday.  A  specimen  of  the  tibicen,  or  some  other  large  species,  has  been 
taken  in  Massachusetts,  but  I  have  not  the  individual  to  refer  to  at  this  time. 

[ 2  This  is  nothing  more  than  a  local  variety  of  C.  pruinosa,  Say ;  there  is  no 
persistency  in  the  form  and  length  of  the  abdominal  valves,  and  the  coloration 
and  extent  of  pruinoseness  upon  the  insect  depend  upon  various  contingencies  to 
which  it  is  liable.  —  UIILEU.] 


220  HEMIPTERA. 

same  proportion,  "  a  man  of  ordinary  stature  should  be  able 
at  once  to  vault  through  the  air  to  the  distance  of  a  quarter 
of  a  mile."  Some  of  these  leaping  harvest-flies  have  the 
face  nearly  vertical,  and  the  thorax  very  large,  tapering  to 
a  point  behind,  covering  the  whole  of  the  upper  side  of  the 
body,  and  overtopping  even  the  head,  which  is  not  visible 
from  above.  These  belong  chiefly  to  the  genus  Membrads, 
to  which  allusion  has  already  been  made ;  and,  as  they  are 
found  mostly  on  the  limbs  of  trees  and  shrubs,  they  may 
receive  the  name  of  tree-hoppers.*  In  others  the  face  slopes 
downwards  towards  the  breast,  the  thorax  is  of  moderate 
size,  and  does  not  extend  much,  if  at  all,  beyond  the  base 
of  the  wing-covers,  and  does  not  conceal  the  head  when 
viewed  from  above.  Some  of  the  insects,  with  this  small- 
sized  thorax,  are  familiarly  called,  in  English  works,  cuckoo- 
spit,  and  frog-hoppers,  and  to  others  may  be  applied  the 
name  of  leaf-hoppers,  because  they  live  mostly  on  the  leaves 
of  plants. 

The  thorax  differs  very  much  in  shape  in  different  kinds 
of  tree-hoppers  (MEMBRACIDID^E),  and  the  variations  of  this 
part  are  productive  of  many  odd  forms  among  these  insects, 
and  particularly  in  foreign  species.  Among  the  species  in- 
habiting Massachusetts,  there  are  some  in  which  the  thorax 
forms  a  thin  and  high  arched  crest  over  the  body,  as  in 
Membrads  camelm  of  Fabricius,  and  the  vau  of  my  Cata- 
logue.8 To  these  the  name  of  Membrads,  which  means 
sharp-edged,  is  most  applicable.  In  other  species  (J/i  emar- 
(jinata  and  sinuata  of  Fabricius,  and  concava  of  Say4)  the 
crest  of  the  thorax  is  deeply  notched  on  the  top.  In  others 
the  whole  of  the  thorax  is  not  elevated  longitudinally  in  the 
middle,  but  only  in  some  part;  thus  M.  Ampelopsidis^  has 
an  oblong  square  crest  on  the  middle  of  the  thorax ;  M.  bi- 

•  Mr.  Rcnnie,  in  the  "  Library  of  Entertaining  Knowledge,"  has  misapplied  this 
name  to  the  Cicadas,  which  do  not  leap. 

[»  Both  belong  to  the  genus  Smilin,  Amyot. —  UHLER.] 

( «  .!/.  emaryinala,  tiniuita,  and  concava  belong  to  Entilia,  Amyot.  — UHLEK.  j 

I  &  M.  untpelojjsidU  belongs  t«  Tclamona,  Fitch.  —  UHLEK.] 


THE    TREE-HOPPERS.  221 

maculata  of  Fabricius  and  univittata6  of  my  Catalogue  have 
a  thin  horn-like  projection,  blunt,  however,  at  the  end,  ex- 
tending obliquely  forwards  and  upwards  from  the  fore  part 
of  the  thorax ;  and  M.  binotata  and  latipes 7  of  Say  have  a 
similarly  situated  horn,  narrower  however,  and  curved,  so 
as  to  give  to  the  insects,  when  viewed  sidewise,  the  shape 
of  a  bird ;  and,  lastly,  in  M.  bubalus  of  Fabricius,  diceros 
of  Say,  and  taurina8  of  my  Catalogue,  the  ridge  of  the  tho- 
rax, viewed  from  above,  has  somewhat  the  shape  of  the 
letter  T,  becoming  broad  at  the  fore  part,  and  extending 
outwards  on  each  side  like  a  pair  of  short  thick  horns,  which 
gave  rise  to  the  foregoing  specific  names,  meaning  buffalo, 
two-horned,  and  kine-like. 

The  habits  of  some  of  the  tree-hoppers  are  presumed  to 
be  much  the  same  as  those  of  the  musical  harvest-flies,  for 
they  are  found  on  the  limbs  of  trees,  where  they  deposit 
their  eggs,  only  during  the  adult  state,  and  probably  pass 
the  early  period  of  their  existence  in  the  ground.  Others, 
however,  are  known  to  live  and  undergo  all  their  changes 
on  the  stems  of  plants.  Among  the  former  is  our  largest 
native  species,  the  two-spotted  tree-hopper,  or  Mem-  Pig  89 
brads  bimaculata*  of  Fabricius  (Fig.  89),  which 
may  be  found  in  great  abundance  on  the  limbs  of 
the  locust-tree  (JRobinia  pseudacacia)  during  the 
months  of  September  and  October.  These,  as  well 
as  other  tree-hoppers,  show  but  little  activity  when  undis- 
turbed, remaining  without  motion  for  hours  together  on  the 
limbs  of  the  trees ;  but  on  the  approach  of  the  fingers,  they 
leap  vigorously,  and,  spreading  their  wings  at  the  same  time, 

*  Fabricius  describes  the  male  only  under  this  name;  the  female  is  his  Mem- 
brads  acuminata.  This  species  belongs  to  Professor  Germar's  new  genus,  Ifemi- 
plycha.9 

[  6  M.  bimaculata  and  univittata  belong  to  Tkelia,  Amyot.  —  UHLER.] 
[  7  M.  binotata  and  talipes  belong  to  Euchenopa,  Amyot.  —  UHLER.] 
[ 8  M .  bubalus,  diceros,  and  taurina  belong  to  Ceresa,  Amyot.  —  UHLER.] 
[9  It  might  be  added,  that  this  genus  is  now  restricted  to  Membracis  punctata, 
Fab.,  and  a  few  allied  species.  —  UHLER.] 


222  HEMIPTERA. 

fly  to  another  limb  and  settle  there,  in  the  same  position  as 
before.  They  never  sit  across  the  limbs,  but  always  in  the 
direction  of  their  length,  with  the  head  or  forepart  of  the 
body  towards  the  extremity  of  the  branches.  On  account 
of  their  peculiar  form,  wliich  is  that  of  a  thick  cone  with  a 
very  oblique  direction,  their  dark  color,  and  their  fixed  pos- 
ture while  perching,  they  would  readily  be  mistaken  for  the 
thorns  of  the  tree,  a  circumstance  undoubtedly  intended  for 
their  preservation.  Other  instances  have  been  mentioned 
displaying  proofs  of  equal  wisdom  in  the  formation  of  insects. 
Thus,  in  the  leaf-insects,  grasshoppers,  and  walking-sticks, 
which  live  in  trees,  the  latter  exactly  simulating  a  little  twig 
in  appearance,  and  the  others  having  the  form  and  color  of 
leaves,  their  resemblance  to  the  objects  among  which  they 
have  been  destined  to  live  has  doubtless  been  given  to  them 
with  the  express  design  of  screening  them  from  their  enemies 
of  the  feathered  race.  Many  other  examples  of  the  same 
kind  might  be  mentioned,  did  time  and  the  limits  of  my 
subject  warrant ;  but  these  alone  suffice  to  show  that  special 
provision  has  been  wisely  made  in  the  construction  of  cer- 
tain defenceless  animals  with  a  view  to  secure  them  from 
observation.  Surely  insects,  the  most  despised  of  God's 
creation,  are  not  unworthy  our  study,  since  they  are  objects 
of  His  care  and  subjects  of  a  special  providence. 

But  to  return  to  our  locust  tree-hopper,  which  remains 
to  be  described  ; — it  measures  about  half  an  inch  from  the 
tip  of  the  horn  to  the  end  of  the  body ;  the  male  is  black- 
ish above,  with  a  long  yellow  spot  on  each  side  of  the  back ; 
and  the  female  is  ash-colored,  and  without  spots.  While  on 
the  trees,  these  insects,  though  perfectly  still,  are  not  unem- 
ployed ;  but  puncture  the  bark  with  their  sharp  and  slender 
beaks,  and  imbibe  the  sap  for  nourishment.  The  female 
also  appears  to  commit  her  eggs  to  the  protection  of  the 
tree,  being  furnished  with  a  piercer  beneath  the  extremity 
of  her  body,  with  which  to  make  suitable  perforations  in  the 
branches.  As  I  have  never  seen  the  young  on  these  trees, 


THE    TREE-HOPPERS.  223 

I  presume  that,  as  soon  as  they  are  hatched,  they  make  their 
way  to  the  ground,  and  remain  under  the  surface  of  the  soil, 
sucking  the  sap  from  the  roots  of  plants,  until  they  are  about 
to  enter  upon  their  last  period  of  existence,  when  they  crawl 
up  the  trunks  of  the  trees,  throw  off  their  coats,  and  appear 
in  the  perfect  or  winged  state.  From  the  great  numbers 
of  these  tree-hoppers  which  exist  in  certain  seasons,  the 
locust-trees  undoubtedly  suffer  much,  not  only  in  conse- 
quence of  the  quantity  of  sap  abstracted  from  their  branches, 
but  from  the  numerous  punctures  made  by  the  insects  in 
obtaining  it  and  in  laying  their  eggs. 

The  oak-tree  is  attacked  by  another  species,  the  white- 
lined  tree-hopper  {M.  univittata),  which  may  be  found  upon 
it  during  the  month  of  July.  It  is  about  four  tenths  of  an 
inch  in  length  ;  the  thorax  is  brown,  has  a  short  obtuse  horn 
extending  obliquely  upwards  from  its  fore  part,  and  there  is  a 
white  line  on  the  back,  extending  from  the  top  of  the  horn 
to  the  hinder  extremity. 

The  common  creeper  (Ampelopsis  quinquefotta)  is  inhabit- 
ed by  a  tree-hopper,  which  has  an  oblong  square  and  thin 
elevation  or  crest  on  the  middle  of  the  thorax.  Its  body  is 
usually  of  a  reddish  ash-color,  and  the  thorax  is  ornamented 
with  three  reddish-brown  bands,  one  of  which  is  above  the 
head  and  extends  transversely  between  the  lateral  projecting 
angles  of  the  thorax,  the  second  is  a  short  and  oblique  line 
on  each  side  of  the  front  part  of  the  crest,  and  the  third  is 
also  oblique,  and  begins  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  thorax,  and 
passes  obliquely  forwards  on  each  side 
to  the  top  of  the  hind  part  of  the  crest. 
This  species  may  be  called  Membracis 
Ampelopsidis  *  (Figs.  90  and  91),  from 
the  plant  on  which  it  is  found  in  the 
perfect  state.  The  young  appear  to  live 
in  the  earth  till  they  are  fully  grown  and  have  acquired  the 
rudiments  of  wing-covers  and  wings,  or  have  become  pupse, 

*  It  is  the  Membracis  Cissl  of  my  Catalogue. 


224  HEMIPTERA. 

after  which  they  «ire  seen  ascending  the  stems  of  the  creeper, 
on  which  they  change  their  skins  for  the  last  time.  This 
occurs  from  the  middle  to  the  end  of  June. 

There  is  a  little  tree-hopper,  which  is  found  during  the 
months  of  July  and  August  on  the  wax-work,  or  Celastrus 
scandens,  accompanied  usually  by  its  young.  When  fully 
grown,  it  is  nearly  three  tenths  of  an  inch  in  length,  including 
the  horn  of  the  thorax ;  is  of  a  dusky  brown  color,  with  two 
yellowish  spots  on  the  ridge  of  the  back ;  and  the  first  four 
shanks  are  exceedingly  broad  and  flat.  It  is  the  two-spot- 
ted tree-hopper,  or  Membracis  binotata  of  Say.  When  seen 
side  wise  it  presents  a  profile  much  like  that  of  a  bird,  the 
head  and  neck  of  which  are  represented  by  the  curved 
projecting  horn  of  the  thorax ;  and  a  group  of  these  little 
tree-hoppers,  of  various  sizes,  clustered  together  on  a  stem 
of  the  wax-work,  may  be  likened  to  a  flock  of  old  and 
young  partridges.  They  appear  to  pass  through  all  their 
transformations  on  the  plant,  are  fond  of  society,  and  sit 
close  together,  with  their  heads  all  in  the  same  direction. 

Tree-hoppers  are  often  surrounded  by  ants,  for  the  sake 
of  their  castings,  and  for  the  sap  which  oozes  from  the  punc- 
tures made  by  the  former,  of  which  the  ants  are  very  fond. 
Those  kinds  that  live  on  the  stems  of  plants  from  the  time 
when  they  are  hatched  till  they  are  fully  grown,  are  very 
closely  attended  by  ants ;  and  as  from  their  constant  suck- 
ing the  young  become  often  wet,  their  careful  attendants, 
the  ants,  find  regular  employment  in  wiping  them  clean  and 
dry  with  their  antennae  and  tongues. 

The  remaining  Homopterous  insects  have  a  thorax  of 
moderate  size,  not  tapering  to  a  point  behind,  and  not  cov- 
ering the  whole  body  as  in  the  preceding  species.  Their 
heads  are  visible  from  above,  and  the  face  slopes  downwards 
towards  the  breast. 

Here  may  be  arranged  the  singular  insects  called  frog- 
hoppers  (CERCOPIDID^E),  which  pass  their  whole  lives  on 
plants,  on  the  stems  of  which  their  eggs  are  laid  in  the 


THE    LEAF-HOPPERS.  225 

autumn.  The  following  summer  they  are  hatched,  and  the 
young  immediately  perforate  the  bark  with  their  beaks,  and 
begin  to  imbibe  the  sap.  They  take  in  such  quantities  of 
this,  that  it  oozes  out  of  their  bodies  continually,  in  the  form 
of  little  bubbles,  which  soon  completely  cover  up  the  insects. 
They  thus  remain  entirely  buried  and  concealed  in  large 
masses  of  foam,  until  they  have  completed  their  final  trans- 
formation, on  which  account  the  names  of  cuckoo-spittle, 
frog-spittle,  and  frog-hoppers  have  been  applied  to  them. 
We  have  several  species  of  these  frog-hoppers  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  the  spittle,  with  which  they  are  sheltered  from  the 
sun  and  air,  may  be  seen  in  great  abundance,  during  the 
summer,  on  the  stems  of  our  alders  and  willows.  In  the 
perfect  state  they  are  not  thus  protected,  but  are  found  on 
the  plants,  in  the  latter  part  of  summer,  fully  grown  and 
preparing  to  lay  their  eggs.  In  this  state  they  possess  the 
power  of  leaping  in  a  still  more  remarkable  degree  than  the 
tree-hoppers  ;  and,  for  this  purpose,  the  tips  of  their  hind 
shanks  are  surrounded  with  little  spines,  and  the  first  two 
joints  of  their  feet  have  a  similar  coronet  of  spines  at  their 
extremities.  Their  thorax  narrows  a  little  behind,  and 
projects  somewhat  between  the  bases  of  the  wing-covers ; 
their  bodies  are  rather  short,  and  their  wing-covers  are  al- 
most horizontal  and  quite  broad  across  the  middle,  which, 
with  the  shortness  of  their  legs,  gives  them  a  squat  appear- 
ance.* 

The  leaf-hoppers  (TETTIGONIAD^E)  leap  almost  as  well  as 
the  spittle-insects  just  mentioned  ;  but  their  hind  legs  are 
longer,  are  not  surrounded  with  coronets  of  short  spines,  but 
are  three-sided,  and  generally  fringed  on  two  of  their  edges 

*  The  following  species  are  found  in  Massachusetts,  namely :  Cercopis  ignipecta 
of  my  Catalogue,  and  the  parallela,  quadrangularis,  and  obtttsa,  of  Say.  The  last 
three  belong  to  Germar's  genus  Aphrophorarf  which  means  spume-bearer.  Cercopis, 
which  may  be  translated  impostor,  was  applied  by  the  Greeks  to  a  small  Cicada. 

t  [  Clttstoptera  proleus,  an  insect  of  this  class  which  does  great  injury  to  the  cran- 
berry crop  in  some  parts  of  Massachusetts,  but  of  whose  habits  very  little  has 
been  ascertained,  is  figured  on  Plate  III.  Fig.  6.  —  ED.] 
29 


HEMIPTERA. 

with  numerous  long  and  slender  spines,  which  contribute, 
like  the  coronets  of  the  frog-hoppers,  to  fix  their  shanks 
firmly  when  they  are  about  to  leap.  The  leaf-hoppers  have 
been  divided,  by  Professor  Germar  and  other  entomologists, 
into  many  genera,  according  to  the  structure  of  their  legs, 
the  situation  of  the  eyelets,  and  the  form  of  the  head  ;  but 
we  may  retain  them,  without  inconvenience,  in  the  genus 
Tettigonia,  proposed  for  them  by  Geoffroy,  or  rather  adopted 
from  the  ancient  Greeks,  who  gave  this  name  to  the  small 
kinds  of  harvest-flies,  calling  the  larger  ones  Tettix. 

The  Tettigonians,  or  leaf-hoppers,  have  the  head  and  tho- 
rax somewhat  like  those  of  frog-hoppers,  but  their  bodies 
are,  in  general,  proportionally  longer,  not  so  broad  across 
the  middle,  and  not  so  much  flattened.  The  head,  as  seen 
from  above,  is  broad,  and  either  crescent-shaped,  semicir- 
cular, or  even  extended  forwards  in  the  form  of  a  triangle ; 
its  upper  side  is  more  or  less  flattened,  and  the  face  slopes 
downwards  towards  the  breast  at  an  acute  angle  with  the 
top  of  the  head.  The  thorax  is  wider  than  long,  with  the 
front  margin  curving  forwards,  the  hind  margin  transverse, 
or  not  extended  between  the  wing-covers,  which  space  is 
filled  by  a  pretty  large  triangular  scutel  or  escutcheon.  The 
wing-covers  are  generally  opaque,  rather  long  and  narrow, 
and  more  or  less  inclined  at  the  sides  of  the  body,  not  flat 
however,  but  moulded  somewhat  to  the  form  of  the  body, 
and  the  wings  are  rather  shorter  and  broader,  not  netted 
like  those  of  the  tree-hoppers,  but  strengthened  by  a  few 
longitudinal  veins.  The  eyes,  which  are  distant  from  each 
other,  and  placed  at  the  sides  of  the  head,  are  pretty  large, 
but  flattish,  and  not  globular  as  in  the  Cicadas ;  and  the 
eyelets,  which  are  rarely  wanting,  vary  in  their  situation, 
being  sometimes  on  the  top  and  sometimes  below  the  front 
edge  of  the  head.  Notwithstanding  the  small  size  of  most 
of  these  insects,  they  are  deserving  our  attention  on  account 
of  their  beauty,  delicacy,  and  surprising  agility,  as  well  as 
for  the  injury  sustained  by  vegetation  from  them. 


THE    VINE-HOPPERS.  227 

It  is  stated  by  the  late  Mr.  Fessenden,  in  the  "  New 
American  Gardener,"  that  some  persons  in  this  country  have 
entirely  "  abandoned  their  grape-vines "  in  consequence  of 
the  depredations  of  a  small  insect,  which,  for  many  years, 
was  supposed  to  be  the  vine-fretter  of  Europe.  It  is  not, 
however,  the  same  insect,  but  is  a  leaf-hopper,  and  was 
first  described  by  me  in  the  year  1831,  in  the  eighth  volume 
of  the  "  Encyclopaedia  Americana,"  *  under  the  name  of 
Tettigonia  Vttis  (Plate  III.  Fig.  5).  In  its  perfect  state 
it  measures  one  tenth  of  an  inch  in  length.  It  is  of  a  pale 
yellow  or  straw  color ;  there  are  two  little  red  lines  on  the 
head  ;  the  back  part  of  the  thorax,  the  scutel,  the  base  of 
the  wing-covers,  and  a  broad  band  across  their  middle,  are 
scarlet;  the  tips  of  the  wing-covers  are  blackish,  and  there 
are  some  little  red  lines  between  the  broad  band  and  the 
tips.  The  head  is  crescent-shaped  above,  and  the  eyelets 
are  situated  just  below  the  ridge  of  the  front. 

The  vine-hoppers,  as  they  may  be  called,  inhabit  the  for- 
eign and  the  native  grape-vines,  on  the  under  surface  of 
the  leaves  of  which  they  may  be  found  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  summer ;  for  they  pass  through  all  their  changes 
on  the  vines.  They  make  their  first  appearance  on  the 
leaves  in  June,  when  they  are  very  small  and  not  provided 
with  wings,  being  then  in  the  larva  state.  During  most  of 
the  time  they  remain  perfectly  quiet,  with  their  beaks  thrust 
into  the  leaves,  from  which  they  derive  their  nourishment 
by  suction.  If  disturbed,  however,  they  leap  from  one  leaf 
to  another  with  great  agility.  As  they  increase  in  size  they 
have  occasion  frequently  to  change  their  skins,  and  great 
numbers  of  their  empty  cast-skins,  of  a  white  color,  will 
be  found,  throughout  the  summer,  adhering  to  the  under 
sides  of  the  leaves  and  upon  the  ground  beneath  the  vines. 

When  arrived  at  maturity,  which  generally  occurs  during 
the  month  of  August,  they  are  still  more  agile  than  before, 
making  use  of  their  delicate  wings  as  well  as  their  legs  in 

*  Article  Locust,  p.  43. 


228  HEMIPTERA. 

their  motions  from  place  to  place  ;  and  when  the  leaves 
are  agitated,  they  leap  and  fly  from  them  in  swarms,  but 
soon  alight  and  begin  again  their  destructive  operations. 
The  infested  leaves  at  length  become  yellow,  sickly,  and 
prematurely  dry,  and  give  to  the  vine  at  midsummer  the 
aspect  it  naturally  assumes  on  the  approach  of  winter.  But 
this  is  not  the  only  injury  arising  from  the  exhausting  punc- 
tures of  the  vine-hoppers.  In  consequence  of  the  interrup- 
tion of  the  important  functions  of  the  leaves,  the  plant  itself 
languishes,  the  stem  does  not  increase  in  size,  very  little  new 
wood  is  formed,  or,  in  the  language  of  the  gardeners,  the 
canes  do  not  ripen  well,  the  fruit  is  stunted  and  mildews, 
and,  if  the  evil  be  allowed  to  go  on  unchecked,  in  a  few 
years  the  vines  become  exhausted,  barren,  and  worthless. 
In  the  autumn  the  vine-hoppers  desert  the  vines,  and  retire 
for  shelter  during  the  coming  winter  beneath  fallen  leaves 
and  among  the  decayed  tufts  and  roots  of  grass,  where  they 
remain  till  the  following  spring,  when  they  emerge  from 
their  winter-quarters,  and  in  due  time  deposit  their  eggs 
upon  the  leaves  of  the  vine,  and  then  perish. 

As  the  vine-hoppers  are  much  more  hardy  and  more 
vivacious  than  the  European  vine-fretters  or  plant-lice,  the 
applications  that  have  proved  destructive  to  the  latter  are 
by  no  means  so  efficacious  with  the  former.  Fumigations 
with  tobacco,  beneath  a  movable  tent  placed  over  the  trel- 
lises, answer  the  purpose  completely.*  They  require  fre- 
quent repetition,  and  considerable  care  is  necessary  to  pre- 
vent the  escape  and  insure  the  destruction  of  the  insects ; 
circumstances  which  render  the  discovery  of  some  more 
expeditious  method  an  object  to  those  whose  vineyards  are 
extensive. 

There  is  another  little  leaf-hopper  that  has  been  mistaken 
for  a  vine-fretter  or  Thrips,  though  never  found  upon  the 
grape-vine.  It  lives  upon  the  leaves  of  rose-bushes,  and  is 

•  See  Feasenden's  "  New  American  Gardener,"  p.  299,  for  a  description  of  the 
tent  and  of  the  process  of  fumigation. 


THE    BEAN    LEAF-HOPPER.  229 

very  injurious  to  them.  In  its  perfect  state  it  is  rather  less 
than  three  twentieths  of  an  inch  long.  Its  body  is  yellowish 
white,  its  wing-covers  and  wings  are  white  and  transparent, 
and  its  eyes,  claws,  and  piercer  brown.  The  male  has  two 
recurved  appendages  at  the  tip  of  its  hind  body.  It  may 
be  called  Tettigonia  Rosce.*  Swarms  of  these  insects  may 
be  found,  in  various  stages  of  growth,  on  the  leaves  of  the 
rose-bush,  through  the  greater  part  of  summer,  and  even 
in  winter  upon  housed  plants.  Then*  numerous  cast  skins 
may  be  seen  adhering  to  the  lower  side  of  the  leaves.  They 
pair  and  lay  their  eggs  about  the  middle  of  June,  and  they 
probably  live  through  the  winter  in  the  perfect  state,  con- 
cealed under  fallen  leaves  and  rubbish  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  Fumigations  with  tobacco,  and  the  application  of 
a  solution  of  whale-oil  soap  in  water  with  a  syringe,  are  the 
best  means  for  destroying  these  leaf-hoppers. 

I  have  found  that  the  Windsor  bean,  a  variety  of  the 
Vida  Fqba  of  Linnaeus,  is  subject  to  the  attacks  of  a  species 
of  leaf-hopper,  particularly  during  dry  seasons,  and  when 
cultivated  in  light  soils.  In  the  early  part  of  summer  the 
insects  are  so  small  and  so  light-colored  that  they  easily 
escape  observation,  and  it  is  not  till  the  beginning  of  July, 
when  the  beans  are  usually  large  enough  to  be  gathered 
for  the  table,  that  the  ravages  of  the  insects  lead  to  their 
discovery.  A  large  proportion  of  the  pods  will  then  be 
found  to  be  rough,  and  covered  with  little  dark-colored  dots 
or  scars,  and  many  of  them  seem  to  be  unusually  spongy 
and  not  well  filled.  On  opening  these  spongy  pods,  we  find 
that  the  beans  have  not  grown  to  their  proper  size,  and  if 
they  are  left  on  the  plant  they  cease  to  enlarge.  At  the 
same  time  the  leaves,  pods,  and  stalks  are  more  or  less  in- 
fested with  little  leaf-hoppers,  not  fully  grown,  and  unpro- 
vided with  wings.  Usually  between  the  end  of  July  and 

*  This  insect  may  be  the  Cicada  Rosce  of  Linnaeus,  or  lassus  Rosa  of  Fabricius. 
It  belongs  to  Dr.  Fitch's  genus  Empoa,  as  also  does  Tettigonia  Fabce.  The  Tetti- 
gonia Vitis  is  an  Eryihroneura  of  the  same  author. 


230  HEMIPTERA. 

the  middle  of  August  the  insects  come  to  their  growth  and 
acquire  their  wings  ;  but  the  mischief  at  this  time  is  finished, 
and  the  plants  have  suffered  so  much  that  all  prospect  of 
a  second  crop  of  beans,  from  new  shoots  produced  after 
the  old  stems  are  cut  down,  is  frustrated. 

These  leaf-hoppers  have  the  same  agility  in  their  motions, 
and  apparently  the  same  habits,  as  the  vine-hoppers ;  but 
in  the  perfect  state  they  are  longer,  more  slender,  and  much 
more  delicate.  They  are  of  a  pale  green  color ;  the  wing- 
covers  and  wings  are  transparent  and  colorless ;  and  the 
last  joint  of  the  hind  feet  is  bluish.  The  head,  as  seen 
from  above,  is  crescent-shaped,  and  the  two  eyelets  are  sit- 
uated on  its  front  edge.  The  male  has  two  long  recurved 
feathery  threads  at  the  extremity  of  the  body.  The  length 
of  this  species  is  rather  more  than  one  tenth,  but  less  than 
three  twentieths  of  an  inch.  It  may  be  called  Tettiyonia 
Fabce.  Probably  it  passes  the  winter  in  the  same  way  as 
the  vine-hopper. 

2.     PLANT-LICE.     (Aphidida.) 

The  Aphidians,  in  which  group  we  include  the  insects 
commonly  known  by  the  name  of  plant-lice,  differ  remarka- 
bly from  all  the  foregoing  in  their  appearance,  their  forma- 
tion, and  their  manner  of  increase.  Their  bodies  are  veiy 
soft,  and  usually  more  or  less  oval.  The  females  are  often 
without  wing-covers  and  wings  ;  and  the  former,  when  they 
erist,  do  not  differ  in  texture  from  the  wings,  but  are  usually 
much  larger  and  more  useful  in  flight.  We  may  therefore 
cease  to  call  these  parts  wing-covers,  in  all  the  remaining 
insects  of  this  order,  and  apply  to  them  the  name  of  upper 
wings. 

Some  of  the  Aphidians  have  the  power  of  leaping,  like  the 
leaf-hoppers,  from  which,  however,  they  differ  in  having  very 
large  and  transparent  upper  wings,  which  cover  the  sides  of 
the  body  like  a  very  steep  roof;  and  their  antennae  are  pretty 
long  and  threadlike,  and  are  tipped  with  two  short  bristles 


THE    LEAPING    PLANT-LICE.  231 

at  the  end.  Both  sexes,  when  arrived  at  maturity,  are 
winged,  and  some  of  the  females  are  provided  with  a  kind 
of  awl  at  the  end  of  the  body,  very  different,  however,  from 
the  piercers  of  the  foregoing  insects.  With  this  they  prick 
the  leaves,  in  which  they  deposit  their  eggs,  and  the  wounds 
thus  made  sometimes  produce  little  excrescences  or  swellings 
on  the  plant.  These  leaping  plant-lice  belong  to  a  genus 
called  Psylla,  which  was  the  Greek  name  for  a  small  jump- 
ing insect.  They  are  by  no  means  so  prolific  as  the  other 
plant-lice,  for  ordinarily  they  produce  only  one  brood  in  the 
year.  They  live  in  groups,  composed  of  about  a  dozen 
individuals  each,  upon  the  stems  and  leaves  of  plants,  the 
juices  of  which  they  imbibe  through  their  tubular  beaks. 
The  young  are  often  covered  with  a  substance  resembling 
fine  cotton  arranged  in  flakes.  This  is  the  case  with  some 
which  are  found  on  the  alder  and  birch  in  the  spring  of  the 
year. 

Within  a  few  years,  a  kind  of  Psylla,  before  unknown 
here,  has  appeared  upon  pear-trees  in  the  western  parts  of 
Connecticut  and  of  Massachusetts,  particularly  in  the  valley 
of  the  Housatonic,  and  in  the  adjoining  counties  of  Dutchess 
and  Columbia  in  New  York.  It  was  first  made  known  to 
me,  in  December,  1848,  by  Dr.  Ovid  Plumb,  of  Salisbury, 
Connecticut,  and  it  is  the  subject  of  a  communication  in  the 
"  American  Agriculturist,"  for  January,  1849.  Since  that 
time,  Dr.  Plumb  has  favored  me  with  additional  observa- 
tions, and  an  account  of  his  experiments,  with  various  rem- 
edies, and  towards  the  end  of  July,  1851,  a  brief  visit  to 
Salisbury  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  insects  in 
a  living  condition,  and  in  the  midst  of  their  operations 
upon  the  trees. 

This  Psylla,  or  jumping  plant-louse,  is  one  of  the  kinds 
whose  young  are  naked,  or  not  covered  with  a  coat  of  cotton. 
In  some  of  its  forms  it  is  found  on  pear-trees  during  most 
of  the  time  from  May  to  October ;  and  probably  two  if  not 
more  broods  are  produced  in  the  course  of  the  summer. 


HEMIPTERA.      - 

It  was  first  observed  by  Dr.  Plumb  in  the  spring  of  1833, 
on  some  imported  pear-trees,  which  had  been  set  the  year 
before.  These  trees,  in  the  autumn  after  they  were  planted, 
wore  an  unhealthy  aspect,  and  had  patches  of  a  blackish 
rust  upon  their  branches.  During  the  second  summer,  these 
trees  died ;  and  other  trees,  upon  which  the  same  rusty 
matter  was  found,  proved  to  be  infested  with  the  same 
insects. 

Like  the  aphides,  or  plant-lice,  these  insects  live  by  suc- 
tion. By  means  of  their  suckers,  which  come  from  the 
lower  side  of  the  head  near  the  breast,  they  puncture  the 
bark  of  the  twigs  and  small  branches,  and  imbibe  the  sap. 
They  soon  gorge  themselves  to  such  a  degree,  that  the  fluid 
issues  constantly  from  their  bodies  in  drops,  is  thrown  over 
the  surface  of  the  twigs,  and,  mingled  with  their  more  solid 
castings,  defiles  the  bark,  and  gives  it  the  blackish  color 
above  noticed.  Swarms  of  flies  and  ants  upon  the  trees  are 
a  sure  indication  of  the  presence  of  these  sap-suckers,  being 
attracted  by  the  sweetish  fluid  thrown  out  by  them. 

Young  trees  suffer  excessively  by  the  attacks  of  these  in- 
sects, nor  do  old  trees  escape  without  injury  from  them.  In 
consequence  apparently  of  their  ravages  alone,  Dr.  Plumb 
lost  several  hundred  pear-trees  from  1834  to  1838  inclusive  ; 
his  trees  have  continued  to  suffer,  to  some  extent,  from  this 
cause,  since  that  time ;  and  he  informs  me  that  the  same 
destructive  depredations  have  been  observed  in  all  the  ad- 
jacent region.  On  the  23d  of  July,  I  saw  these  insects 
on  the  trees,  some  already  provided  with  wings,  and  others 
advancing  towards  maturity.  The  young  ones  were  of  a 
dull  orange-yellow  color.  They  were  short,  and  were  ob- 
tuse behind,  and  had  little  wing-scales  on  the  sides  of  their 
bodies.  The  perfect,  or  winged  individuals,  were  about  one 
tenth  of  an  inch  long  from  the  forehead  to  the  tips  of  the 
closed  wings.  The  front  of  the  head  was  notched  in  the 
middle.  The  eyes  were  large  and  prominent.  The  head 
and  thorax  were  brownish  orange,  and  the  hind  body  green- 


THE    PEAK-TREE    PSYLLA.  233 

ish.  Their  four  ample  wings  were  colorless  and  transparent, 
and  were  marked  with  a  few  dark  veins.  The  body  of  the 
female  is  pointed  at  the  end,  and  inclines  to  a  reddish 
hue. 

The  pear-tree,  in  Europe,  is  subject  to  the  attacks  of 
a  similar  insect,  called  Psylla  Pyri,  the  pear-tree  Psylla. 
The  European  species  is  said  to  vaiy  in  color  at  different 
ages,  and  in  different  seasons  of  the  year,  being  of  a  dull 
crimson  color,  shaded  with  black  in  the  spring,  when  it 
comes  forth  to  lay  its  eggs.  Not  having  seen  any  of  our 
pear-tree  Psyllce  in  their  spring  dress,  I  cannot  say  whether 
they  agree  with  those  of  Europe  in  being  of  the  same  crim- 
son color  at  this  season  of  the  year.  As,  however,  they  do 
correspond  very  nearly  in  other  respects  to  the  descriptions 
given  of  the  European  species,  and  have  precisely  the  same 
destructive  habits,  and  as  they  were  first  detected  upon 
imported  pear-trees,  I  apprehend  that  they  were  introduced 
from  abroad,  and  that  they  will  prove  to  be  the  same  species 
as  the  European  Psylla  Pyri. 

The  following  particulars,  abridged  from  Kb'llar's  "  Trea- 
tise," if  confirmed  by  future  observations,  will  serve  to 
complete  the  history  of  the  American  insect.  The  European 
pear-tree  Psylla  comes  forth  from  its  winter  retreat,  pro- 
vided with  wings,  as  soon  as  the  buds  of  fruit-trees  begin  to 
expand.  After  pairing,  the  female  lays  her  eggs  in  great 
numbers  near  each  other  on  the  young  leaves  and  blossoms, 
or  on  the  newly-formed  fruit  and  shoots.  The  eggs  are 

t/  Go 

oblong,  yellowish,  and  look  somewhat  like  grains  of  pollen. 
The  young  insects  hatched  therefrom  resemble  wingless  plant- 
lice,  and  are  of  a  dark  yellow  color.  They  change  their 
skins  and  color  repeatedly,  and  acquire  wing-scales,  or  rudi- 
mentary wings.  They  then  fix  themselves  to  the  bark  in 
rows,  and  remain  sucking  the  sap  till  their  last  change  ap- 
proaches, at  which  time  they  disperse  among  the  leaves, 
cast  off  their  skins,  and  appear  in  the  winged  form. 

When  considerable  numbers  attack  a  pear-tree,  the  latter 
30 


234  HEMIPTERA. 

soon  assumes  an  unhealthy  appearance,  its  growth  is  checked, 
its  leaves  and  shoots  curl  up,  and  the  tree  dies  by  degrees, 
if  not  freed  from  its  troublesome  guests.  Kollar  recommends 
brushing  off  the  insects,  when  young,  with  a  brush  of  hog's 
bristles,  and  crushing  under  foot  those  that  fall ;  and  also 
advises  to  search  for  the  winged  females  in  the  spring,  and 
destroy  them  by  hand.  Such  a  process  would  be  altogether 
too  tedious  and  uncertain  here.  I  would  therefore  suggest 
the  expediency  of  washing  the  twigs  with  a  brush  dipped 
in  a  mixture  of  strong  soap-suds  and  flour  of  sulphur.  If 
this  be  done  before  the  buds  expand,  the  latter  will  not  be 
injured  thereby,  while  the  application  will  be  likely  to  deter 
the  insects  from  laying  their  eggs  on  the  tree.  A  weaker 
application  of  the  same,  or  the  common  solution  of  whale-oil 
soap,  may  suffice  to  kill  the  young  insects  after  they  have 
fastened  themselves  upon  the  bark.  If  the  latter  be  thrown 
upon  the  trees  with  a  syringe,  it  will  destroy  the  insects 
on  the  leaves  also. 

Others,  both  sexes  of  which  are  also  winged,  have  long 
and  slender  bodies,  very  narrow  wings,  which  are  fringed 
with  fine  hairs,  and  he  flatly  on  the  back  when  not  in  use. 
They  are  exceedingly  active  in  all  their  motions,  and  seem 
to  leap  rather  than  fly.  They  live  on  leaves,  flowers,  in 
buds,  and  even  in  the  crevices  of  the  bark  of  plants,  but 
are  so  small  that  they  readily  escape  notice,  the  largest 
being  not  more  than  one  tenth  of  an  inch  in  length.  These 
minute  and  slender  insects  belong  to  the  genus  Tiinps. 
Their  punctures  appear  to  poison  plants,  and  often  produce 
deformities  in  the  leaves  and  blossoms.  The  peach-tree 
sometimes  suffers  severely  from  their  attacks,  as  well  as 
from  those  of  the  true  plant-lice ;  and  they  are  found  be- 
neath the  leaves,  in  little  hollows  caused  by  their  irritating 
punctures. 

The  same  applications  that  are  employed  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  plant-lice  may  be  used  with  advantage  upon  plants 
infested  with  the  Thrips.  Mrs.  N.  G.  S.  Gage,  formerly  of 


THE    PLANT-LICE.  235 

Concord,  N.  H.,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  much  valuable 
information  respecting  the  wheat-fly,  or  Ceddomyia  Tritici, 
has  discovered  another  pernicious  insect  in  the  ears  of  grow- 
ing wheat.  It  seems  to  agree  with  the  accounts  of  the  Thrips 
cerealium,  which  sometimes  infests  wheat,  in  Europe,  to  a 
great  extent.  This  insect,  in  its  larva  state,  is  smaller  than 
the  wheat  maggot,  is  orange-colored,  and  is  provided  with 
six  legs,  two  antennae,  and  a  short  beak,  and  is  very  nimble 
in  its  motions.  It  is  supposed  to  suck  out  the  juices  of  the 
seed,  thus  causing  the  latter  to  shrink,  and  become  what  the 
English  farmers  call  pungled.  This  little  pest  may  proba- 
bly be  destroyed  by  giving  the  grain  a  thorough  coating  of 
slacked  lime. 

Aphides,  or  plant-lice,  as  they  are  usually  called,  are 
among  the  most  extraordinary  of  insects.  They  are  found 
upon  almost  all  parts  of  plants,  the  roots,  stems,  young 
shoots,  buds,  and  leaves,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  plant  which 
does  not  harbor  one  or  two  kinds  peculiar  to  itself.  They 
are,  moreover,  exceedingly  prolific,  for  Reaumur  has  proved 
that  one  individual,  in  five  generations,  may  become  the 
progenitor  of  nearly  six  thousand  millions  of  descendants. 

It  often  happens,  that  the  succulent  extremities  and  stems 
of  plants  will,  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time,  become 
completely  coated  with  a  living  mass  of  these  little  lice. 
These  are  usually  wingless,  consisting  of  the  young  and  of 
the  females  only ;  for  winged  individuals  appear  only  at 
particular  seasons,  usually  in  the  autumn,  but  sometimes  in 
the  spring,  and  these  are  small  males  and  larger  females. 
After  pairing,  the  latter  lay  their  eggs  upon  or  near  the 
leaf-buds  of  the  plant  upon  which  they  live,  and,  together 
with  the  males,  soon  afterwards  perish. 

The  genus  to  which  plant-lice  belong  is  called  Aphis, 
(Plate  III.  Fig.  4,  Aphis  mali^)  from  a  Greek  word  which 
signifies  to  exhaust.  The  following  are  the  principal  char- 
acters by  which  they  may  be  distinguished  from  other  insects. 
Their  bodies  are  short,  oval,  and  soft,  and  are  furnished  at 


236  HEMIPTERA. 

the  hinder  extremity  with  two  little  tubes,  knobs,  or  pores, 
from  which  exude  almost  constantly  minute  drops  of  a  fluid 
as  sweet  as  honey;  their  heads  are  small,  their  beaks  are 
very  long  and  tubular,  their  eyes  are  globular,  but  they  have 
not  eyelets,  their  antenna  are  long,  and  usually  taper  to- 
wards the  extremity,  and  their  legs  are  also  long  and  very 
slender,  and  there  are  only  two  joints  to  their  feet.  Their 
upper  are  nearly  twice  as  large  as  the  lower  wings,  are 
much  longer  than  the  body,  are  gradually  widened  towards 
the  extremity,  and  nearly  triangular;  they  are  almost  ver- 
tical when  at  rest,  and  cover  the  body  above  like  a  very 
sharp-ridged  roof. 

The  winged  plant-lice  provide  for  a  succession  of  their 
race  by  stocking  the  plants  with  eggs  in  the  autumn,  as 
before  stated.  These  are  hatched  in  due  time  in  the  spring, 
and  the  young  lice  immediately  begin  to  pump  up  sap  from 
the  tender  leaves  and  shoots,  increase  rapidly  in  size,  and 
in  a  short  time  come  to  maturity.  In  this  state,  it  is  found 
that  the  brood,  without  a  single  exception,  consists  wholly 
of  females,  which  are  wingless,  but  are  in  a  condition  imme- 
diately to  continue  their  kind.  Their  young,  however,  are 
not  hatched  from  eggs,  but  are  produced  alive,  arid  each 
female  may  be  the  mother  of  fifteen  or  twenty  young  lice 
in  'the  course  of  a  single  day.  The  plant-lice  of  this  second 
generation  are  also  wingless  females,  which  grow  up  and 
have  their  young  in  due  time;  and  thus  brood  after  brood 
is  produced,  even  to  the  seventh  generation  or  more,  with- 
out the  appearance  or  intervention,  throughout  the  whole 
season,  of  a  single  male.  This  extraordinary  kind  of  prop- 
agation ends  in  the  autumn  with  the  birth  of  a  brood  of 
males  and  females,  which  in  due  time  acquire  wings  and 
pair;  eggs  are  then  laid  by  these  females,  and  with  the 
death  of  these  winged  individuals,  which  soon  follows,  the 
race  becomes  extinct  for  the  season. 

Plant-lice  seem  to  love  society,  and  often  herd  together 
in  dense  masses,  each  one  remaining  fixed  to  the  plant  by 


THE    PLANT-LICE.  237 

means  of  its  long  tubular  beak ;  and  they  rarely  change 
their  places  till  they  have  exhausted  the  part  first  attacked. 
The  attitudes  and  manners  of  these  little  creatures  are  ex- 
ceedingly amusing.  When  disturbed,  like  restive  horses, 
they  begin  to  kick  and  sprawl  in  the  most  ludicrous  manner. 
They  may  be  seen,  at  times,  suspended  by  their  beaks  alone, 
and  throwing  up  their  legs  as  if  in  a  high  frolic,  but  too 
much  engaged  in  sucking  to  withdraw  their  beaks.  As  they 
take  in  great  quantities  of  sap,  they  would  soon  become 
gorged  if  they  did  not  get  rid  of  the  superabundant  fluid 
through  the  two  little  tubes  or  pores  at  the  extremity  of 
their  bodies.  When  one  of  them  gets  running-over  full, 
it  seems  to  communicate  its  uneasy  sensations,  by  a  kind  of 
animal  magnetism,  to  the  whole  flock,  upon  which  they  all, 
with  one  accord,  jerk  upwards  their  bodies,  and  eject  a 
shower  of  the  honeyed  fluid.  The  leaves  and  bark  of  plants 
much  infested  by  these  insects  are  often  completely  sprinkled 
over  with  drops  of  this  sticky  fluid,  which,  on  drying,  become 
dark  colored,  and  greatly  disfigure  the  foliage.  This  appear- 
ance has  been  denominated  honey-dew  ;  but  there  is  another 
somewhat  similar  production  observable  on  plants,  after  very 
dry  weather,  which  has  received  the  same  name,  and  consists 
of  an  extravasation  or  oozing  of  the  sap  from  the  leaves. 

We  are  often  apprised  of  the  presence  of  plant-lice  on 
plants  growing  in  the  open  air  by  the  ants  ascending  and 
descending  the  stems.  By  observing  the  motions  of  the 
latter,  we  soon  ascertain  that  the  sweet  fluid  discharged  by 
the  lice  is  the  occasion  of  these  visits.  The  stems  swarm 
with  slim  and  hungry  ants  running  upwards,  and  others 
lazily  descending  with  their  bellies  swelled  almost  to  bursting. 
When  arrived  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  plant-lice, 
they  greedily  wipe  up  the  sweet  fluid  which  has  distilled 
from  them,  and  when  this  fails,  they  station  themselves 
among  the  lice,  and  catch  the  drops  as  they  fall. 

The  lice  do  not  seem  in  the  least  annoyed  by  the  ants, 
but  live  on  the  best  possible  terms  with  them  ;  and,  on  the 


238  HEMIPTERA. 

other  hand,  the  ants,  though  unsparing  of  other  insects 
weaker  than  themselves,  upon  which  they  frequently  prey, 
treat  the  plant-lice  with  the  utmost  gentleness,  caressing 
them  with  their  antennae,  and  apparently  inviting  them  to 
give  out  the  fluid  by  patting  their  sides.  Nor  are  the  lice 
inattentive  to  these  solicitations,  when  in  a  state  to  gratify 
the  ants,  for  whose  sake  they  not  only  seem  to  shorten  the 
periods  of  the  discharge,  but  actually  yield  the  fluid  when 
thus  pressed.  A  single  louse  has  been  known  to  give  it  drop 
by  drop  successively  to  a  number  of  ants,  that  were  waiting 
anxiously  to  receive  it.  When  the  plant-lice  cast  their  skins, 
the  ants  instantly  remove  the  latter,  nor  will  they  allow  any 
dirt  or  rubbish  to  remain  upon  or  about  them.  They  even 
protect  them  from  their  enemies,  and  run  about  them  in  the 
hot  sunshine  to  drive  away  the  little  ichneumon  flies  that 
are  forever  hovering  near  to  deposit  their  eggs  in  the  bodies 
of  the  lice. 

Plant-lice  differ  very  much  in  form,  color,  clothing,  and 
in  the  length  of  the  honey-tubes.  Some  have  these  tubes 
quite  long,  as  the  rose-louse,  Aphis  Rosce,  which  is  green, 
and  has  a  little  conical  projection  or  stylet,  as  it  is  called, 
at  the  extremity  of  the  body,  between  the  two  honey-tubes. 
The  cabbage-louse,  Aphis  Bras&icce,  has  also  long  honey- 
tubes,  but  its  body  is  covered  with  a  whitish  mealy  substance. 
This  species  is  very  abundant  'on  the  under  side  of  cabbage- 
leaves  in  the  month  of  August. 

The  largest  species  known  to  me  is  found  in  clusters 
beneath  the  limbs  of  the  pig-nut  hickory  (Gary a porcina),  in 
all  stages  of  growth,  from  the  first  to  the  middle  of  July. 
It  is  the  Aphis  *  Caryce  of  my  Catalogue.  Its  body,  in  the 
winged  state,  measures  one  quarter  of  an  inch  to  the  end 
of  the  abdomen,  and  above  four  tenths  of  an  inch  to  the  tips 
of  the  upper  wings,  which  expand  rather  more  than  seven 
tenths  of  an  inch.  It  has  no  terminal  stylet,  and  the  honey- 
tubes  are  very  short.  Its  body  is  covered  with  a  bluish-white 

•  It  probably  belongs  to  the  genns  Lachnut  of  Lliger,  or  Cinara  of  Curtis. 


THE    SUBTERRANEAN    PLANT-LICE.  239 

substance  like  the  bloom  of  a  plum,  with  four  rows  of  little 
transverse  black  spots  on  the  back ;  the  top  of  the  thorax 
and  the  veins  of  the  wings  are  black,  as  are  also  the  shanks, 
the  feet,  and  the  antennae,  which  are  clothed  with  black 
hairs;  the  thighs  are  reddish  brown.  This  species  sucks 
the  sap  from  the  limbs,  and  not  from  the  leaves,  of  the 
hickory. 

There  is  another  large  species,  living  in  the  same  way  on 
the  under  side  of  the  branches  of  various  kinds  of  willows, 
and  clustered  together  in  great  numbers.  About  the  first 
of  October  they  are  found  in  the  winged  state.  The  body 
measures  one  tenth  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  the  wings 
expand  about  four  tenths.  The  stylet  is  wanting ;  the  body 
is  black  and  without  spots ;  the  wings  are  transparent,  but 
their  veins,  the  short  honey-tubercles,  the  third  joint  of  the 
antennas,  and  the  legs,  are  tawny  yellow.  This  species 
cannot  be  identical  with  the  willow-louse,  Aphis  Scdieis  of 
Linnaeus,  which  has  a  spotted  body ;  and  therefore  I  pro- 
pose to  call  it  Aphis  Salicti,™  the  plant-louse  of  willow 
groves.  When  crushed,  it  communicates  a  stain  of  a  red- 
dish or  deep  orange  color. 

Some  plant-lice  live  in  the  ground,  and  derive  their  nour- 
ishment from  the  roots  of  plants.  We  annually  lose  many 
of  our  herbaceous  plants,  if  cultivated  in  a  light  soil,  from 
the  exhausting  attacks  of  these  subterranean  lice.  Upon 
pulling  up  China  asters,  which  seem  to  be  perishing  from 
no  visible  cause,  I  have  found  hundreds  of  little  lice,  of  a 
white  color,  closely  clustered  together  on  the  roots.  I  could 
never  discover  any  of  them  that  were  winged,  and  therefore 
conclude  from  this  circumstance,  as  well  as  from  their  pecu- 
liar situation,  that  they  never  acquire  wings.  Whether  these 
are  of  the  same  species  as  the  Aphis  radicum  of  Europe, 
I  cannot  ascertain,  as  no  sufficient  description  of  the  latter 

[ 10  The  name  Salicti  was  long  ago  appropriated  by  Schrank  to  a  very  different 
species  of  Ajihis,  inhabiting  Europe.  This  name  must  therefore  fall  as  a  synonyme 
to  some  other  which  may  be  applied  to  it.  It  might  be  called  Aphis  Salicicola.  — 
UHLER.] 


240  HEMIPTERA. 

has  ever  come  to  my  notice.11  These  little  lice  are  attended 
by  ants,  which  generally  make  their  nests  near  the  roots  of 
the  plants,  so  as  to  have  their  milch  kine,  as  the  plant-lice 
have  been  called,  within  their  own  habitations ;  and  in  con- 
sequence of  the  combined  operations  of  the  lice  and  the 
ants,  the  plants  wither  and  prematurely  perish. 

When  these  subterranean  lice  are  disturbed,  the  attendant 
ants  are  thrown  into  the  greatest  confusion  and  alarm ;  they 
carefully  take  up  the  lice  which  have  fallen  from  the  roots, 
and  convey  them  in  their  jaws  into  the  deep  recesses  of 
their  nests ;  and  here  the  lice  still  contrive  to  live  upon 
the  fragments  of  the  roots  left  in  the  soil. 

It  is  stated*  that  the  ants  bestow  the  same  care  and 
attention  upon  the  root-lice  as  upon  their  own  offspring, 
that  they  defend  them  from  the  attacks  of  other  insects, 
and  carry  them  about  in  their  mouths  to  change  their  pas- 
ture ;  and  that  they  pay  particular  attention  to  the  eggs  of 
the  lice,  frequently  moistening  them  with  their  tongues,  and 
in  fine  weather  bringing  them  to  the  surface  of  the  nest  to 
give  them  the  advantage  of  the  sun.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  sweet  fluid  supplied  in  abundance  by  these  lice  forms 
the  chief  nutriment  both  of  the  ants  and  their  young,  which 
is  sufficient  to  account  for  their  solicitude  and  care  for  their 
valuable  herds. 

The  peach-tree  suffers  very  much  from  the  attacks  of 
plant-lice,  which  live  under  the  leaves,  causing  them  by 
their  punctures  to  become  thickened,  to  curl  or  form  hol- 
lows beneath,  and  corresponding  crispy  and  reddish  swell- 
ings above,  and  finally  to  perish  and  drop  off  prematurely. 
Whether  our  insect  is  the  same  as  the  European  Aphis  of 

[»  It  is  very  probable  that  the  Aphis  infesting  China  asters  is  the  same  with  the 
radicit  of  Europe.  Many  foreign  species  of  plant-lice  have  become  naturalized  in 
this  country,  and  we  may  thus  expect  to  find  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  commoner 
European  species  infesting  our  vegetation.  The  Aphis  (  Trama)  radicis  of  Europe 
corresponds  with  our  own  in  color,  and,  as  supposed  by  Dr.  Harris,  winged  speci- 
nu-n-.  have  never  been  discovered.  —  UHLEK.] 

*  See  Kirby  and  Spence's  Introduction  to  Entomology,  Vol.  II.  pp.  91,  92. 


THE    DOWNY    PLANT-LICE.  241 

the  peach-tree  {Aphis  Persicce  of  Sulzer)  I  cannot  determine, 
for  the  want  of  a  proper  description  of  the  latter. 

The  injuries  occasioned  by  plant-lice  are  much  greater 
than  would  at  first  be  expected  from  the  small  size  and 
extreme  weakness  of  the  insects ;  but  these  make  up  by 
their  numbers  what  they  want  in  strength  individually,  and 
thus  become  formidable  enemies  to  vegetation.  By  their 
punctures,  and  the  quantity  of  sap  which  they  draw  from 
the  leaves,  the  functions  of  these  important  organs  are  de- 
ranged or  interrupted,  the  food  of  the  plant,  which  is  there 
elaborated  to  nourish  the  stem  and  mature  the  fruit,  is  with- 
drawn, before  it  can  reach  its  proper  destination,  or  is  con- 
taminated and  left  in  a  state  unfitted  to  supply  the  wants 
of  vegetation. 

Plants  are  differently  affected  by  these  insects.  Some 
wither  and  cease  to  grow,  their  leaves  and  stems  put  on  a 
sickly  appearance,  and  soon  die  from  exhaustion.  Others, 
though  not  killed,  are  greatly  impeded  in  their  growth,  and 
their  tender  parts,  which  are  attacked,  become  stunted, 
curled,  or  warped. 

The  punctures  of  these  lice  seem  to  poison  some  plants, 
and  affect  others  in  a  most  singular  manner,  producing 
warts  or  swellings,  which  are  sometimes  solid  and  some- 
times hollow,  and  contain  in  their  interior  a  swarm  of  lice, 
the  descendants  of  a  single  individual,  whose  punctures  were 
the  original  cause  of  the  tumor.  I  have  seen  reddish  tumors 
of  this  kind,  as  big  as  a  pigeon's  egg,  growing  upon  leaves, 
to  which  they  were  attached  by  a  slender  neck,  and  con- 
taining thousands  of  small  lice  in  their  interior.  Naturalists 

O 

call  these  tumors  galls,  because  they  seem  to  be  formed  in 
the  same  way  as  the  oak-galls  which  are  used  in  the  making 
of  ink.  The  lice  which  inhabit  or  produce  them  generally 
differ  from  the  others,  in  having  shorter  antennae,  being 
without  honey-tubes,  and  in  frequently  being  clothed  with 
a  kind  of  white  down,  which,  however,  disappears  when 
the  insects  become  winged. 
31 


•1\-1  HEMIPTERA. 

These  downy  plant-lice  are  now  placed  in  the  genus  JSrio- 
soma,  which  means  woolly  body,  and  the  most  destructive 
species  belonging  to  it  was  first  described,  under  the  name 
of  Aphis  lanigera,  by  Mr.  Hausmann,*  in  the  year  1801, 
as  infesting  the  apple-trees  in  Germany.  It  seems  that  it 
had  been  noticed  in  England  as  early  as  the  year  1787, 
and  has  since  acquired  there  the  name  of  American  blight, 
from  the  erroneous  supposition  that  it  had  been  imported 
from  this  country.  It  was  known,  however,  to  the  French 
gardeners  f  for  a  long  time  previous  to  both  of  the  above 
dates,  and,  according  to  Mr.  Rennie,  J  is  found  in  the  or- 
chards about  Harfleur  in  Normandy,  and  is  very  destructive 
to  the  apple-trees  in  the  department  of  Calvados. 

There  is  now  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  miscalled 
American  blight  is  not  indigenous  to  this  country,  and  that 
it  has  been  introduced  here  with  fruit-trees  from  Europe. 
Some  persons,  indeed,  have  supposed  that  it  was  not  to  be 
found  here  at  all,  but  the  late  Mr.  Buel  has  stated  §  that 
it  existed  on  his  apple-trees,  and  I  have  once  or  twice  seen 
it  on  apple-trees  in  Massachusetts,  where,  however,  it  still 
appears  to  be  rare,  and  consequently  I  have  not  been  able 
to  examine  the  insects  sufficiently  myself.  The  best  account 
that  I  have  seen  of  them  is  contained  in  Knapp's  "  Journal 
of  a  Naturalist,"  from  which,  and  from  Hausmann's  de- 
scription, the  following  observations  are  cliiefly  extracted. 

The  eggs  of  the  woolly  apple-tree  louse  are  so  small  as 
not  to  be  distinguished  without  a  microscope,  and  are  en- 
veloped in  a  cotton-like  substance  furnished  by  the  body 
of  the  insect.  They  are  deposited  in  the  crotches  of  the 
branches  and  in  the  chinks  of  the  bark  at  or  near  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground,  especially  if  there  are  suckers  springing 
from  the  same  place.  The  young,  when  first  hatched,  are 
covered  with  a  very  short  and  fine  down,  and  appear  in 

•  Illiger'8  Magazin,  Vol.  I.  p.  440.  \  Insect  Miscellanies,  p.  180. 

t  Salisbury's  Hints  on  Orchards,  p.  89. 

\  New  England  Fanner,  Vol.  VII.  p.  169;  Vol.  IX.  p.  178. 


THE    APPLE-TREE    LOUSE.  243 

the  spring  of  the  year  like  little  specks   of  mould  on  the 
trees  (Fig.   92X     As  the  season   advances,  and 

.  s   .  .          .  .          T 

the  insect  increases  in  size,  its  downy  coat  be- 
comes more  distinct,  and  grows  in  length  daily. 
This  down  is  very  easily  removed,  adheres  to 
the  fingers  when  it  is  touched,  and  seems  to  issue 

O 

from  all  the  pores  of  the  skin  of  the  abdomen. 
When  fully  grown,  the  insects  of  the  first  brood 
are  one  tenth  of  an  inch  in  length,  and,  when 
the  down  is  rubbed  off,  the  head,  antenna?,  suck- 
er, and  shins  are  found  to  be  of  a  blackish  color, 
and  the  abdomen  honey-yellow.  The  young  are 
produced  alive  during  the  summer,  are  buried  in  masses  of 
the  down,  and  derive  their  nourishment  from  the  sap  of  the 
bark  and  of  the  alburnum  or  young  wood  immediately  under 
the  bark. 

The  adult  insects  never  acquire  wings,  at  least  such  is 
the  testimony  both  of  Hausmann  and  Knapp,  and  are  des- 
titute of  honey-tubes,  but  from  time  to  time  emit  drops  of 
a  sticky  fluid  from  the  extremity  of  the  body.  These  insects, 
though  destitute  of  wings,  are  conveyed  from  tree  to  tree 
by  means  of  their  long  down,  wlu'ch  is  so  plentiful  and  so 
light,  as  easily  to  be  wafted  by  the  winds  of  autumn,  and 
thus  the  evil  will  gradually  spread  throughout  an  extensive 
orchard.  The  numerous  punctures  of  these  lice  produce  on 
the  tender  shoots  a  cellular  appearance,  and  wherever  a 
colony  of  them  is  established,  warts  or  excrescences  arise 
on  the  bark  ;  the  limbs  thus  attacked  become  sickly,  the 
leaves  turn  yellow  and  drop  off ;  and,  as  the  infection 
spreads  from  limb  to  limb,  the  whole  tree  becomes  diseased, 
and  eventually  perishes. 

In  Gloucestershire,  England,  so  many  apple-trees  were 
destroyed  by  these  lice  in  the  year  1810,  that  it  was  feared 
the  making  of  cider  must  be  abandoned.  In  the  North  of 
England  the  apple-trees  are  greatly  injured,  and  some  annu- 
ally destroyed  by  them,  and  in  the  year  1826  they  abounded 
31* 


244  HEMIPTERA. 

there  in  such  incredible  luxuriance,  that  many  trees  seemed, 
at  a  short  distance,  as  if  they  had  been  whitewashed. 

Mr.  Knapp  thinks  that  remedies  can  prove  efficacious  in 
removing  this  evil  only  upon  a  small  scale,  and  that  when 
the  injury  has  existed  for  some  time,  and  extended  its  influ- 
ence over  the  parts  of  a  large  tree,  it  will  take  its  course, 
and  the  tree  will  die.  He  says  that  he  has  removed  this 
blight  from  young  trees,  and  from  recently  attacked  places 
in  those  more  advanced,  by  painting  over  every  node  or 
infected  part  of  the  tree  with  a  composition  consisting  of 
three  ounces  of  melted  resin  mixed  with  the  same  quantity 
of  fish-oil,  which  is  to  be  put  on  while  warm,  with  a  painter's 
brush.  Sir  Joseph  Banks  succeeded  in  extirpating  the  in- 
sects from  his  own  trees  by  removing  all  the  old  and  rugged 
bark,  and  scrubbing  the  trunk  and  branches  with  a  hard 
brush.  The  application  of  the  spirits  of  tar,  of  spirits  of 
turpentine,  of  oil,  urine,  and  of  soft  soap,  has  been  recom- 
mended. Mr.  Buel  found  that  oil  sufficed  to  drive  the 
insects  from  the  trunks  and  branches,  but  that  it  could  not 
be  applied  to  the  roots,  where  numbers  of  the  insects  har- 
bored. 

The  following  treatment  I  am  inclined  to  think  will  prove 
as  successful  as  any  which  has  heretofore  been  recommended. 
Scrape  off  all  the  rough  bark  of  the  infected  trees,  and 
make  them  perfectly  clean  and  smooth  early  in  the  spring ; 
then  rub  the  trunk  and  limbs  with  a  stiff  brush  wet  with  a 
solution  of  potash  as  hereafter  recommended  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  bark-lice ;  after  which  remove  the  sods  and  earth 
around  the  bottom  of  the  trunk,  and  with  the  scraper,  brush, 
and  alkaline  liquor,  cleanse  that  part  as  far  as  the  roots  can 
conveniently  be  uncovered.  The  earth  and  sods  should 
immediately  be  carried  away,  fresh  loam  should  be  placed 
around  the  roots,  and  all  cracks  and  wounds  should  be  filled 
with  grafting  cement  or  clay  mortar.  Small  limbs  and 
extremities  of  branches,  if  infected,  and  beyond  reach  of 
the  applications,  should  be  cut  off  and  burned. 


REMEDIES.  245 

There  are  several  other  species  of  Eriosoma  or  downy  lice 
in  this  State,  inhabiting  various  forest  and  ornamental  trees, 
some  of  which  may  also  have  been  introduced  from  abroad. 
The  descriptions  of  foreign  plant-lice  are  mostly  so  brief  and 
imperfect,  that  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain  from  them  which 
of  our  species  are  identical  with  those  of  Europe ;  I  shall 
therefore  omit  any  further  account  of  these  insects,  and  close 
this  part  of  the  subject  with  a  few  remarks  on  the  remedies 
to  be  employed  for  their  destruction  generally,  and  some 
notice  of  the  natural  enemies  of  plant-lice. 

Solutions  of  soap,  or  a  mixture  of  soapsuds  and  tobacco- 
water,  used  warm  and  applied  with  a  watering-pot  or  with  a 
garden  engine,  may  be  employed  for  the  destruction  of  these 
insects.  It  is  said  that  hot  water  may  also  be  employed 
for  the  same  purpose  with  safety  and  success.  The  water, 
tobacco-tea,  or  suds  should  be  thrown  upon  the  plants  with 
considerable  force,  and  if  they  are  of  the  cabbage  or  lettuce 
kind,  or  other  plants  whose  leaves  are  to  be  used  as  food, 
they  should  subsequently  be  drenched  thoroughly  with  pure 
water.  Professor  Lindley  recommends  syringing  plants,  as 
often  as  necessary  to  remove  the  lice,  with  a  solution  of  half 
an  ounce  of  strong  carbonate  of  ammonia  in  one  quart  of 
water,  which  has  the  merit  of  being  clean  as  well  as  effectual. 

O  , 

Lice  on  the  extremities  of  branches  may  be  killed'  by  bend- 
ing over  the  branches  and  holding  them  for  several  minutes 
in  warm  and  strong  soapsuds,  or  in  a  solution  of  whale-oil 
soap. 

Against  the  depredations  of  the  plant-lice  that  sometimes 
infest  potato-fields,  dusting  the  plants  with  lime  has  been 
found  a  good  remedy.  Lice  multiply  much  faster,  and  are 
more  injurious  to  plants,  in  a  dry  than  in  a  wet  atmosphere ; 
hence  in  green-houses,  attention  should  be  paid  to  keep  the 
air  sufficiently  moist ;  and  the  lice  are  readily  killed  by  fumi- 
gations with  tobacco  or  with  sulphur.  To  destroy  subterra- 
nean lice  on  the  roots  of  plants,  I  have  found  that  watering 
with  salt  water  was  useful,  if  the  plants  were  hardy ;  but 


246  HEMIPTERA. 

tender  herbaceous  plants  cannot  be  treated  in  this  way,  but 
may  sometimes  be  revived,  when  suffering  from  these  hidden 
foes,  by  free  and  frequent  watering  with  soapsuds. 

Plant-lice  would   undoubtedly    be   much   more   abundant 
and  destructive,  if  they  were  not  kept  in  check  by  certain  re- 
doubtable enemies  of  the  insect  kind,  which  seem  expressly 
created   to  diminish   their  numbers.     These   lice-destroyers 
are  of  three  sorts.     The  first  are  the  young  or  larvae  of  the 
hemispherical  beetles  familiarly  known  by  the  name  of  lady- 
birds, and  scientifically  by  that  of  Coccinella.     These  little 
beetles  are  generally  yellow  or  red,  with  black  spots,  or, 
black,  with  wliite,  red,  or  yellow  spots  ;  there  are  many  kinds 
of  them,  and  they  are  very  common  and  plentiful  insects, 
and  are  generally  diffused  among  plants.     They  live,  both  in 
the  perfect  and  young  state,  upon  plant-lice,  and  hence  their 
^        services  are  very  considerable.     Their  young  are 
»       j        small  flattened  grubs   (Fig.   93)   of  a  bluish  or 
\Xj        blue-black  color,  spotted  usually  with  red  or  yel- 
f^Ki        low,  and  furnished  with  six  legs  near  the  fore 
I         part  of  the  body.     They  are  hatched  from  little 
yellow  eggs,   laid  in  clusters   among   the  plant- 
lice,  so  that  they  find  themselves  at  once  within 
reach   of  their  prey,  which,  from  their   superior  strength, 
they  are  enabled  to  seize  and  slaughter  in  great  numbers. 

In   July,  1848,  a  friend   sent  to   me  a  whole  brood  of 
lady-bird  grubs,  which,  being  found  upon  potato-vines,  were 
thought  by  some  of  his  neighbors  to  be  the  cause    of  the 
rot.     In  a  few  weeks  the  grubs  were  transformed  to  beetles, 
p^  94  about  as  big  as  half  a  pea,  and  having  nine 

•"••>    black  dots  on  their  dull  orange-colored  wing- 
^A^         shells.      Hence  they  derive  their  name  of 
\j)  Coccinella  novemnotata,  (Fig.  94,  pupa  and 

imago,  and  Plate  II.  Fig.  4,)  the  nine-dot- 
ted  Coccinella.     It  need  hardly  be  added, 
that  these  little  insects  were  wholly  innocent 
of  all  offence  to  the  plants,  upon  which,  when  infested  with 


PLANT-LICE    DESTROYERS.  247 

the  common  potato  plant-lice,  they  may  always  be  found. 
It  is  amusing,  however,  that  both  of  these  kinds  of  insects 
should  have  been  charged  with  the  same  fault,  one  having 
no  more  to  do  with  producing  the  disease  than  the  other. 

There  are  some  lady-birds,  of  a  very  small  size,  and  black- 
ish color,  sparingly  clothed  with  short  hairs,  and  sometimes 
with  a  yellow  spot  at  the  end  of  the  wing-covers,  whose 
young  are  clothed  with  short  tufts  or  flakes  of  the  most 
delicate  white  down.  These  insects  belong  to  the  genus 
Scymnus,  which  means  a  lion's  whelp,  and  they  well  merit 
such  a  name,  for  their  young,  in  proportion  to  their  size,  are 
as  sanguinary  and  ferocious  as  the  most  savage  beasts  of 
prey.  I  have  often  seen  one  of  these  little  tufted  animals 
preying  upon  plant-lice,  catching  and  devouring,  with  the 
greatest  ease,  lice  nearly  as  large  as  its  own  body,  one  after 
another,  in  rapid  succession,  without  apparently  satiating  its 
hunger  or  diminishing  its  activity. 

The  second  kind  of  plant-lice  destroyers  are  the  young  of 
the  golden-eyed  lace- winged  fly,  Chrysopa  perlalz  (Plate  III. 
Fig.  8).  This  fly  is  of  a  pale  green  color,  and  has  four 
wings,  resembling  delicate  lace,  and  eyes  of  the  brilliancy  of 
polished  gold,  as  its  generical  name  implies ;  but  notwith- 
standing its  delicacy  and  beauty,  it  is  extremely  disgusting 
from  the  offensive  odor  that  it  exhales.  It  suspends  its  eggs, 
by  threads,  in  clusters  beneath  the  leaves  where  plant-lice 
abound.  The  young,  or  larva,  (Plate  III.  Fig.  9 ;  Fig.  10, 
cocoon,)  is  a  rather  long  and  slender  grub,  provided  with 
a  pair  of  large  curved  and  sharp  teeth  (jaws),  moving  later- 
ally, and  each  perforated  with  a  hole,  through  which  it  sucks 
the  juices  of  its  victims.  The  havoc  it  makes  is  astonishing ; 
for  one  minute  is  all  the  time  it  requires  to  kill  the  largest 
plant-louse,  and  suck  out  the  fluid  contents  of  its  body. 

The  last  of  the  enemies  of  plant-lice  are  the  maggots  or 

[12  Chrysopa perla  is  not  found  in  this  country;  probably  C.  euryptera,  Burm., 
or  some  other  species  common  to  New  England,  will  be  found  destructive  of  these 
pernicious  plant-lice.  —  UHLER.] 


248  HEMIPTERA. 

young  of  various  two-winged  flies  belonging  to  the  genus 
Syrphus.  Many  of  these  flies  are  black,  with  yellow  bands 
on  their  bodies.  I  have  often  seen  them  hovering  over  small 
trees  and  other  plants,  depositing  their  eggs,  which  they  do 
on  the  wing,  like  the  bot-fly,  curving  their  tails  beneath  the 
leaves,  and  fixing  here  and  there  an  egg,  wherever  plant-lice 
are  discovered.  Others  lay  their  eggs  near  the  buds  of  trees, 
where  the  young  may  find  their  appropriate  nourishment  as 
soon  as  they  are  hatched. 

The  young  are  maggots,  which  are  thick  and  blunt  behind, 
tapering  and  pointed  before ;  their  mouths  are  armed  with  a 
triple-pointed  dart,  with  which  they  pierce  their  prey,  elevate 
it  above  their  heads,  and  feast  upon  its  juices  at  leisure. 
Though  these  maggots  are  totally  blind,  they  are  enabled  to 
discover  their  victims  without  much  groping  about,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  provident  care  of  the  parent  flies,  which 
leave  their  eggs  in  the  very  midst  of  the  sluggish  lice. 
Mr.  Kirby  says,  that,  on  examining  his  currant-bushes,  which 
but  a  week  before  were  infested  by  myriads  of  aphides,  not 
one  was  to  be  found  ;  but  beneath  each  leaf  were  three  or 
four  full-fed  maggots,  surrounded  by  heaps  of  the  slain,  the 
trophies  of  their  successful  warfare.  He  also  says  that  he 
has  found  it  very  easy  to  clear  a  plant  or  small  tree  of  lice, 
by  placing  upon  it  several  larvae  of  Coccinella  or  Syrphi. 

3.     BARK-LICE.     ( Coccidce.) 

The  celebrated  scarlet  in  grain,  which  has  been  employed 
in  Asia  and  the  South  of  Europe,  from  the  earliest  ages, 
as  a  coloring  material,  was  known  to  the  Romans  by  the 
name  of  Coccus,  derived  from  a  similar  Greek  word,  and 
was,  for  a  long  time,  supposed  to  be  a  vegetable  production, 
or  grain,  as  indeed  its  name  implies.  At  length  it  was 
ascertained  that  this  valuable  dye  was  an  insect,  and  others 
agreeing  with  it  in  habits,  and  some  also  in  properties,  hav- 
ing been  discovered,  Linnaeus  retained  them  all  under  the 
same  name.  Hence  in  the  genus  Coccus  are  included,  not 


BARK-LICE.  249 

only  the  Thola  of  the  Phoenicians  and  Jews,  the  Kermes 
of  the  Arabians,  or  the  Coccus  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans, 
but  the  scarlet  grain  of  Poland,  and  the  still  more  valuable 
Cochenille  of  Mexico,  together  with  various  kinds  of  bark- 
lice,  agreeing  with  the  former  in  habits  and  structure. 

These  insects  vary  very  much  in  form ;  some  of  them  are 
oval  and  slightly  convex  scales,  and  others  have  the  shape 
of  a  muscle ;  some  are  quite  convex,  and  either  formed  like 
a  boat  turned  bottom  upwards,  or  are  kidney-shaped,  or 
globular.  They  live  mostly  on  the  bark  of  the  stems  of 
plants  ;  some,  however,  are  habitually  found  upon  leaves,  and 
some  on  roots.  In  the 'early  state,  the  head  is  completely 
withdrawn  beneath  the  shell  of  the  body  and  concealed, 
the  beak  or  sucker  seems  to  issue  from  the  breast,  and  the 
legs  are  very  short  and  not  visible  from  above.  The  females 
undergo  only  a  partial  transformation,  or  rather  scarcely 
any  other  change  than  that  of  an  increase  in  size,  which 
in  some  species,  indeed,  is  enormous,  compared  with  the 
previous  condition  of  the  insect ;  but  the  males  pass  through 
a  complete  transformation  before  arriving  at  the  perfect  or 
winged  state.  In  both  sexes  we  find  threadlike  or  tapering 
antenna3,  longer  than  the  head,  but  much  shorter  than  those 
of  plant-lice,  and  feet  consisting  of  only  one  joint,  terminated 
by  a  single  claw.  The  mature  female  retains  the  beak  or 
sucker,  but  does  not  acquire  wings ;  the  male  on  the  con- 
trary has  two  wings,  but  the  beak  disappears.  In  both 
there  are  two  slender  threads  at  the  extremity  of  the  body, 
very  short  in  some  females,  usually  quite  long  in  the  males, 
which  moreover  are  provided  with  a  stylet  at  the  tip  of  the 
abdomen,  which  is  recurved  beneath  the  body. 

The  following  account  *  contains  a  summary  of  nearly  all 
that  is  known  respecting  the  history  and  habits  of  these 
insects.  Early  in  the  spring  the  bark-lice  are  found  appar- 
ently torpid,  situated  longitudinally  in  regard  to  the  branch, 

*  It  was  drawn  up  by  me  in  the  year  1828,  and  published  in  the  seventh  vol- 
ume of  the  "  New  England  Farmer,"  pp.  186,  187. 
32 


250  HEMIPTERA. 

the  head  upwards,  and  sticking  by  their  flattened  inferior 
surface  closely  to  the  bark.  On  attempting  to  remove  them 
they  are  generally  crushed,  and  there  issues  from  the  body 
a  dark-colored  fluid.  By  pricking  them  with  a  pin,  they 
can  be  made  to  quit  their  hold,  as  I  have  often  seen  in  the 
common  species,  Coccus  Hesperidum,  infesting  the  myrtle. 
A  little  later  the  body  is  more  swelled,  and,  on  carefully 
raising  it  with  a  knife,  numerous  oblong  eggs  will  be  dis- 
covered beneath  it,  and  the  insect  appears  dried  up  and 
dead,  and  only  its  outer  skin  remains,  which  forms  a  convex 
cover  to  its  future  progeny.  Under  this  protecting  shield 
the  young  are  hatched,  and,  on  the  approach  of  warm  weath- 
er, make  their  escape  at  the  lower  end  of  the  shield,  which 
is  either  slightly  elevated  or  notched  at  this  part.  They 
then  move  with  considerable  activity,  and  disperse  them- 
selves over  the  young  shoots  or  leaves. 

The  shape  of  the  young  Coccus  is  much  like  that  of  its 
parent,  but  the  body  is  of  a  paler  color  and  more  thin  and 
flattened.  Its  six  short  legs  and  its  slender  beak  are  visible 
under  a  magnifier.  Some  are  covered  with  a  mealy  powder, 
as  the  Coccus  Cacti,  or  cochenille  of  commerce,  and  the 
Coccus  Adonidum,  or  mealy  bug  of  our  greenhouses.  Others 
are  hairy  or  woolly ;  but  most  of  them  are  naked  and  dark- 
colored.  These  young  lice  insert  their  beaks  into  the  bark 
or  leaves,  and  draw  from  the  cellular  substance  the  sap  that 
nourishes  them. 

Rdaumur  observed  the  ground  quite  moist  under  peach- 
trees  infested  with  bark-lice,  which  was  caused  by  the  drip- 
ping of  the  sap  from  the  numerous  punctures  made  by  these 
insects.  While  they  continue  their  exhausting  suction  of 
sap,  they  increase  in  size,  and  during  this  time  are  in  what 
is  called  the  larva  state.  When  this  is  completed,  the  in- 
sects  will  be  found  to  be  of  different  magnitudes,  some  much 
larger  than  the  others,  and  they  then  prepare  for  a  change 
that  is  about  to  ensue  in  their  mode  of  life,  by  emitting  from 
the  under  side  of  their  bodies  numerous  little  white  downy 


B.ARK-LICE.  251 

threads,  which  are  fastened,  in  a  radiated  manner,  around 
their  bodies,  to  the  bark,  and  serve  to  confine  them  securely 
in  their  places.  After  becoming  thus  fixed  they  remain 
apparently  inanimate ;  but  under  these  lifeless  scales  the 
transformation  of  the  insect  is  conducted ;  with  this  remark- 
able difference,  that  in  a  few  days  the  large  ones  contrive 
to  break  up  and  throw  off,  in  four  or  five  flakes,  their  outer 
scaly  coats,  and  reappear  in  a  very  similar  form  to  that 
which  they  before  had  ;  the  smaller  ones,  on  the  contrary, 
continue  under  their  outer  skins,  which  serve  instead  of  co- 
coons, and  from  which  they  seem  to  shrink  and  detach  them- 
selves, and  then  become  perfect  pupae,  the  rudiments  of 
wings,  antennae,  feet,  &c.  being  discoverable  on  raising  the 
shells. 

If  we  follow  the  progress  of  these  small  lice,  which  are 
to  produce  the  males,  we  shall  see,  in  process  of  time,  a  pair 
of  threads  and  the  tips  of  the  wings  protruding  beneath  the 
shell  at  its  lower  elevated  part,  and  through  this  little  fissure 
the  perfect  insect  at  length  backs  out.  After  the  larger  lice 
have  become  fixed,  and  have  thrown  off  their  outer  coats, 
they  enter  upon  the  pupa  or  chrysalis  state,  which  continues 
for  a  longer  or  shorter  period,  according  to  the  species.  But 
when  they  have  become  mature,  they  do  not  leave  the  skins 
or  shells  covering  their  bodies,  which  continue  flexible  for 
a  time.  These  larger  insects  are  the  females,  and  are  des- 
tined to  remain  immovable,  and  never  change  their  place 
after  they  have  once  become  stationary.  The  male  is  ex- 
ceedingly small  in  comparison  to  the  female,  and  is  provided 
with  only  two  wings,  which  are  usually  very  large,  and  lie 
flatly  on  the  top  of  the  body. 

After  the  insects  have  paired,  the  body  of  the  female 
increases  in  size,  or  becomes  quite  convex,  for  a  time,  and 
ever  afterwards  remains  without  alteration  ;  but  serves  to 
shelter  the  eggs  which  are  to  give  birth  to  her  future  off- 
spring. These  eggs,  when  matured,  pass  under  the  body 
of  the  mother,  and  the  latter  by  degrees  shrinks  more  and 
32* 


•J.VJ  HEMIPTERA. 

more,  till  nothing  is  left  but  the  dry  outer  convex  skin,  and 
the  insect  perishes  on  the  spot.  Sometimes 
the  insect's  body  is  not  large  enough  to  cover 
all  her  ears,  in  which  case  she  beds  them 

oo    * 

in  a  considerable  quantity  of  the  down  that 
issues  from  the  under  or  hinder  part  of  her 
body  (Fig.  95).  There  are  several  broods 
of  some  species  in  the  year ;  of  the  bark-louse 
of  the  apple-tree  at  least  two  are  produced 
in  one  season.  It  is  probable  that  the  insects 
of  the  second  or  last  brood  pair  in  the  au- 
tumn, after  which  the  males  die,  but  the 
females  survive  the  winter,  and  lay  their 
eggs  in  the  following  spring. 

Young  apple-trees,  and  the  extremities  of 
the  limbs  of  older  trees,  are  very  much  subject  to  the  attacks 
of  a  small  species  of  bark-louse.  The  limbs  and  smooth 
parts  of  the  trunks  are  sometimes  completely  covered  with 
these  insects,  and  present  a  very  singularly  wrinkled  and 
rough  appearance  from  the  bodies  which  are  crowded  closely 
together.  In  the  winter  these  insects  are  torpid,  and  ap- 
parently dead.  They  measure  about  one  tenth  of  an  inch  in 
length,  are  of  an  oblong  oval  shape,  gradually  decreasing  to 
a  point  at  one  end,  and  are  of  a  brownish  color  very  near  to 
that  of  the  bark  of  the  tree.  These 

Fig.  SO. 

insects  resemble  in  shape  one  which 
was  described  by  Reaumur*  in  1738, 
who  found  it  on  the  elm  in  France, 
and  Geoffrey  named  the  insect  Coc- 
cus arborum  linearis,  while  Gmelin 
called  it  concliiformis  (Fig.  96).  This, 
or  one  much  like  it,  is  very  abundant 
upon  apple-trees  in  England,  as  we 
learn  from  Dr.  Shawf  and  Mr. 


I 


•  Mi'-moires,  Vol.  IV.  p.  69,  plate  6,  figs.  5,  6,  7. 
t  General  Zoology,  Vol.  VI.  Tart  I.  p.  196. 


BARK-LICE.  253 

Kirby ;  *  and  Mr.  Rennie  f  states  that  he  found  it  in  great 
plenty  on  currant-bushes. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  we  have  received  this  insect 
from  Europe,  but  it  is  somewhat  doubtful  whether  our  apple- 
tree  bark-louse  be  identical  with  the  species  found  by  Reau- 
mur on  the  elm  ;  and  the  doubt  seems  to  be  justified  by  the 
difference  in  the  trees  and  in  the  habits  of  the  insects,  our 
species  being  gregarious,  and  that  of  the  elm  nearly  solitary. 
It  is  true  that  on  some  of  our  indigenous  forest-trees  bark- 
lice  of  nearly  the  same  form  and  appearance  have  been  ob- 
served ;  but  it  is  by  no  means  clear  that  they  are  of  the 
same  species  as  those  on  the  apple-tree.  The  first  account 
that  we  have  of  the  occurrence  of  bark-lice  on  apple-trees, 
in  this  country,  is  a  communication  by  Mr.  Enoch  Perley, 
of  Bridgeton,  Maine,  written  in  1794,  and  published  among 
the  early  papers  of  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Society. J 

These  insects  have  now  become  extremely  common,  and 
infest  our  nurseries  and  young  trees  to  a  very  great  extent. 
In  the  spring  the  eggs  are  readily  to  be  seen  on  raising  the 
little  muscle-shaped  scales  beneath  which  they  are  concealed. 
These  eggs  are  of  a  white  color,  and  in  shape  nearly  like 
those  of  snakes.  Every  shell  contains  from  thirty  to  forty  of 
them,  imbedded  in  a  small  quantity  of  whitish  friable*  down. 
They  begin  to  hatch  about  the  25th  of  May,  and  finish 
about  the  10th  of  June,  according  to  Mr.  Perley.  The 
young,  on  their  first  appearance,  are  nearly  white,  very 
minute,  and  nearly  oval  in  form.  In  about  ten  days  they 
become  stationary,  and  early  in  June  throw  out  a  quantity 
of  bluish-white  down,  soon  after  which  their  transformations 
are  completed,  and  the  females  become  fertile,  and  deposit 
their  eggs.  These,  it  seems,  are  hatched  in  the  course  of 
the  summer,  and  the  young  come  to  their  growth  and  pro- 
vide for  a  new  brood  before  the  ensuing  winter. 

Among  the  natural  means  which  are  provided  to  check 
the  increase  of  these  bark-lice  are  birds,  many  of  which, 

*  Introduction  to  Entomology,  Vol.  I.  p.  201. 

t  Insect  Transformations,  p.  92.  t  See  Papers  for  1796,  p.  32. 


254  HEMIPTERA. 

especially  those  of  the  genera  Parus  and  Regulus,  contain- 
ing the  chickadee  and  our  wrens,  devour  great  quantities 
of  these  lice.  I  have  also  found  that  these  insects  are  preyed 
upon  by  internal  parasites,  minute  ichneumon-flies,  and  the 
holes  (which  are  as  small  as  if  made  with  a  fine  needle), 
through  which  these  little  insects  come  forth,  may  be  seen 
on  the  backs  of  a  great  many  of  the  lice  which  have  been 
destroyed  by  their  intestine  foes. 

The  best  application  for  the  destruction  of  the  lice  is  a 
wash  made  of  two  parts  of  soft  soap  and  eight  of  water, 
with  which  is  to  be  mixed  lime  enough  to  bring  it  to  the 
consistence  of  thick  whitewash.  This  is  to  be  put  upon  the 
trunks  and  limbs  of  the  trees  with  a  brush,  and  as  high  as 
practicable,  so  as  to  cover  the  whole  surface,  and  fill  all  the 
cracks  in  the  bark.  The  proper  time  for  washing  over  the 
trees  is  in  the  early  part  of  June,  when  the  insects  are  young 
and  tender.  These  insects  may  also  be  killed  by  using  in 
the  same  way  a  solution  of  two  pounds  of  potash  in  seven 
quarts  of  water,  or  a  pickle  consisting  of  a  quart  of  com- 
mon salt  in  two  gallons  of  water. 

There  has  been  found  on  the  apple  and  pear  tree  another 
kind  of  bark-louse,  which  differs  from  the  foregoing  in  many 
important  particulars,  and  approaches  nearest  to  a  species 
inhabiting  the  aspen  in  Sweden,  of  which  a  description  has 
been  given  by  Dalman  in  the  "  Transactions  of  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Sciences  of  Stockholm,"*  for  the  year  1825, 
under  the  name  of  Coccus  cryptogamus.  This  species  is 
of  the  kind  in  which  the  body  of  the  female  is  not  large 
enough  to  cover  her  eggs,  for  the  protection  whereof  another 
provision  is  made,  consisting,  in  this  species,  of  a  kind  "of 
membranous  shell,  of  the  color  and  consistence  almost  of 
paper.  In  the  autumn  and  throughout  the  winter,  these 
insects  are  seen  in  a  dormant  state,  and  of  two  different 
forms  and  sizes  on  the  bark  of  the  trees. 

The  larger  ones  measure  less  than  a  tenth  of  an  inch 
in  length,  and  have  the  form  of  a  common  oyster-shell, 

*  Kongl.  Vetensknps  Acadcm.  Nya  Handlingar. 


BARK -LICE.  255 

being  broad  at  the  hinder  extremity,  but  tapering  towards  the 
other,  which  is  surmounted  by  a  little  oval  brownish  scale. 
The  small  ones,  which  are  not  much  more  than  half  the 
length  of  the  others,  are  of  a  very  long  oval  shape,  or 
almost  four-sided,  with  the  ends  rounded ;  and  one  extrem- 
ity is  covered  by  a  minute  oval  dark-colored  scale.  These 
little  shell-like  bodies  are  clustered  together  in  great  num- 
bers, are  of  a  white  color  and  membranous  texture,  and 
serve  as  cocoons  to  shelter  the  insects  while  they  are  under- 
going their  transformations.  The  large  ones  are  the  pupa- 
cases  or  cocoons  of  the  female,  beneath  which  the  eggs  are 
laid ;  and  the  small  ones  are  the  cases  of  the  males,  and  differ 
from  those  of  the  females  not  only  in  size  and  shape,  but 
also  in  being  of  a  purer  white  color,  and  in  having  an 
elevated  ridge  passing  down  the  middle.  The  minute  oval 
dark-colored  scales  on  one  of  the  ends  of  these  white  cases 
are  the  skins  of  the  lice  while  they  were  in  the  young  or 
larva  state,  and  the  white  shells  are  probably  formed  in  the 
same  way  as  the  down  which  exudes  from  the  bodies  of  other 
bark-lice,  but  which  in  these  assumes  a  regular  shape,  vary- 
ing according  to  the  sex,  and  becoming  membranous  after 
it  is  formed.  Not  having  seen  these  insects  in  a  living  state, 
I  have  not  been  able  to  trace  their  progress,  and  must  there- 
fore refer  to  Dalman's  memoir  above  mentioned,  for  such 
particulars  as  tend  to  illustrate  the  remaining  history  of  this 
species. 

The  body  of  the  female  insect,  which  is  covered  and  con- 
cealed by  the  outer  case  above  described,  is  minute,  of  an 
oval  form,  wrinkled  at  the  sides,  flattened  above,  and  of  a 
reddish  color.  By  means  of  her  beak,  which  is  constantly 
thrust  into  the  bark,  she  imbibes  the  sap,  by  which  she  is 
nourished  ;  she  undergoes  no  change,  and  never  emerges 
from  her  habitation.  The  male  becomes  a  chrysalis  or  pupa, 
and  about  the  middle  of  July  completes  its  transformations, 
makes  its  escape  from  its  case,  which  it  leaves  at  the  hinder 
extremity,  and  the  wings  with  which  it  is  provided  are  re- 
versed over  its  head  during  the  operation,  and  are  the  last 


256  HEMIPTERA. 

to  be  extricated.  The  perfect  male  is  nearly  as  minute  as  a 
point,  but  a  powerful  magnifier  shows  its  body  to  be  divided 
into  segments,  and  endued  with  all  the  important  parts  and 
functions  of  a  living  animal. 

To  the  unassisted  eye,  says  Dalman,  it  appears  only  as 
a  red  atom,  but  it  is  furnished  with  a  pair  of  long  whitish 
wings,  long  antennae  or  horns,  six  legs  with  their  respective 
joints,  and  two  bristles  terminating  the  tail.  This  minute 
insect  perforates  the  middle  of  the  case  covering  the  female, 
and  thus  celebrates  its  nuptials  with  its  invisible  partner. 
The  latter  subsequently  deposits  her  eggs  and  dies.  In  due 
time  the  young  are  hatched  and  leave  the  case,  under  which 
they  were  fostered,  by  a  little  crevice  at  its  hinder  part. 
These  young  lice,  which  I  have  seen,  are  very  small,  of  a 
pale  yellowish  brown  color,  and  of  an  oval  shape,  very  flat, 
and  appearing  like  minute  scales.  They  move  about  for  a 
while,  at  length  become  stationary,  increase  in  size,  and  in 
due  time  the  whitish  shells  are  produced,  and  the  included 
insects  pass  from  the  larva  to  the  pupa  state.  The  means 
for  destroying  these  insects  are  the  same  as  those  recom- 
mended for  the  extermination  of  the  previous  species. 

Many  years  ago,  when  on  a  visit  from  home,  I  observed 
on  a  fine  native  grape-vine,  that  was  trained  against  the 
side  of  a  house,  great  numbers  of  reddish-brown  bark-lice, 
of  a  globular  form,  and  about  half  as  large  as  a  small  pea, 
arranged  in  lines  on  the  stems.  An  opportunity  for  further 
examination  of  this  species  did  not  occur  till  the  summer  of 
1839,  when  I  was  led  to  the  discovery  of  a  few  of  these 
lice  on  my  Isabella  grape-vines,  by  seeing  the  ants  ascending 
and  descending  the  stems.  Upon  careful  search  I  discov- 
ered the  lice,  which  were  nearly  of  the  color  of  the  bark 
of  the  vine,  partly  imbedded  in  a  little  crevice  of  the  bark, 
and  arranged  one  behind  another  in  a  line.  They  drew 
great  quantities  of  sap,  as  was  apparent  by  their  exudations, 
by  which  the  ants  were  attracted.  Further  observations 
were  arrested  by  a  fire  which  consumed  the  house  and  the 
vines  that  were  trained  to  it. 


CHAPTER     V. 

LEPIDOPTERA. 

CATERPILLARS.  —  BUTTERFLIES.  —  SKIPPERS.  —  HAWK-MOTHS.  —  ^EGERIANS  OR 
BORING-CATERPILLARS.  —  GLAUCOPIDIANS.  —  MOTHS.  —  SPINNERS.  —  LITHO- 
SIANS.  —  TlGER-MOTHS.  —  ERMINE-MOTHS.  —  TUSSOCK-MOTHS.  —  LiACKEY- 
MOTHS.  —  LAPP.ET-MOTHS.  —  SATURNIANS.  —  CERATOCAMPIANS.  —  CARPENTER- 
MOTHS.  —  PSYCHIANS.  —  NOTODONTIANS.  —  OWL-MOTHS.  —  CUT-WORMS.  — 

GEOMETERS,  OR  SPAN-WORMS,  AND  CANKER-WORMS.  —  DELTA-MOTHS.  — 
LEAF-ROLLERS  —  BUD-MOTHS. —  FRUIT-MOTHS. —  BEE-MOTHS. —  CORN-MOTHS. 
—  CLOTHES-MOTHS.  —  FEATHER-WINGED  MOTHS. 

THERE  are  perhaps  no  insects  which  are  so  commonly 
and  so  universally  destructive  as  caterpillars ;  they  are 
inferior  only  to  locusts  in  voracity,  and  equal  or  exceed  them 
in  their  powers  of  increase,  and  in  general  are  far  more 
widely  spread  over  vegetation.  Caterpillars  are  the  young 
of  butterflies  and  of  moths ;  and  of  these,  five  hundred  spe- 
cies, which  are  natives  of  Massachusetts,  are  already  known 
to  me,  and  probably  there  are  at  least  as  many  more  kinds 
to  be  discovered  within  the  limits  of  this  Commonwealth.1 
As  each  female  usually  lays  from  two  hundred  to  five  hun- 
dred eggs,  one  thousand  different  kinds  of  butterflies  and 
moths  will  produce,  on  an  average,  three  hundred  thousand 
caterpillars  ;  if  one  half  of  this  number,  when  arrived  at 

[ !  The  number  of  species  in  the  United  States  may  fairly  be  estimated  at  3,500, 
or  even  more.  My  Catalogue,  published  by  the  Smithsonian  Institute,  contains 
the  names  of  nearly  1,800  already  described  by  various  authors,  exclusive  of 
Microlepidoptera,  which  is  a  numerous  family  of  itself,  and  comparatively  little 
progress  has  as  yet  been  made  in  the  discovery  of  our  indigenous  species  gen- 
erally.  The  latest  and  most  complete  work  on  German  and  Swiss  Lepidoptera 
(Die  SchmetterUnye  Deutscldands  und der  Schweiz,von  H.  v.  Heinemann,  Brunswick, 
1859)  gives  1,387  species,  exclusive  of  Microlepidoptera,  in  those  two  countries 
alone,  and  we  can  confidently  reckon  on  finding  over  three  times  that  number  in 
the  United  States.  —  MORRIS.] 
33 


LEPIDOPTERA. 

maturity,  are  females,  they  will  give  forty-five  millions  of 
caterpillars  in  the  second,  and  six  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  millions  in  the  third  generation.  These  data  suffice 
to  show  that  the  actual  number  of  these  insects,  existing  at 
any  one  time,  must  be  far  beyond  the  limits  of  calculation. 
The  greater  part  of  caterpillars  subsist  on  vegetable  food, 
and  especially  on  the  leaves  of  plants;  hence  their  injuries 
to  vegetation  are  immense,  and  are  too  often  forced  upon 
our  notice.  Some  devour  the  solid  wood  of  trees,  some  live 
only  in  the  pith  of  plants,  and  some  confine  themselves  to 
grains  and  seeds.  Certain  species  attack  our  woollens  and 
furs,  thereby  doing  us  much  injury;  even  leather,  meat, 
wax,  flour,  and  lard  afford  nourishment  to  particular  kinds 
of  caterpillars. 

Caterpillars  vary  greatly  in  form  and  appearance,  but, 
in  general,  their  bodies  are  more  or  less  cylindrical,  and 
composed  of  twelve  rings  or  segments,  with  a  shelly  head, 
and  from  ten  to  sixteen  legs.  The  first  three  pairs  of  legs 
are  covered  with  a  shelly  skin,  are  jointed  and  tapering, 
and  are  armed  at  the  end  with  a  little  claw ;  the  other  legs 
are  thick  and  fleshy,  without  joints,  but  elastic  or  contractile, 
and  are  generally  surrounded  at  the  extremity  by  numerous 
minute  hooks.  There  are  six  very  small  eyes2  on  each 
side  of  the  head,  two  short  antennas,  and  strong  jaws  or 
nippers,  placed  at  the  sides  of  the  mouth,  so  as  to  open  and 
shut  sidewise.  In  the  middle  of  the  lower  lip  is  a  little 
conical  tube,  from  which  the  insects  spin  the  silken  threads 
that  are  used  by  them  in  making  their  nests  and  their  co- 
coons, and  in  various  other  purposes  of  their  economy.  Two 
long  and  slender  bags,  in  the  interior  of  their  bodies,  and 
ending  in  the  spinning  tube,  contain  the  matter  of  the  silk. 
This  is  a  sticky  fluid,  and  it  flows  from  the  spinner  in  a 
fine  stream,  which  hardens  into  a  thread  so  soon  as  it  comes 

[»  Though  Dr.  Harris  mentions  the  ''eyes"  of  caterpillars,  yet  be  it  under- 
stood, he  doe*  not  atterl  that  they  tee.  It  is  very  doubtful  whether  they  have  the 
faculty  of  vision.  —  MUKKIS.] 


CATERPILLARS.  259 

to  the  air.  Some  caterpillars  make  but  very  little  silk ; 
others,  such  as  the  silk-worm  and  the  apple-tree  caterpillar, 
produce  it  in  great  abundance. 

Some  caterpillars  herd  together  in  great  numbers,  and 
pass  the  early  period  of  their  existence  in  society ;  and  of 
these  there  are  species  which  unite  in  their  labors,  and  con- 
struct tents  serving  as  a  common  habitation  in  which  they 
live,  or  to  which  they  retire  occasionally  for  shelter.  Others 
pass  their  lives  in  solitude,  either  exposed  to  the  light  and 
air,  or  sheltered  in  leaves  folded  over  their  bodies,  or  form 
for  themselves  silken  sheaths,  which  are  either  fixed  or 
portable.  Some  make  their  abodes  in  the  stems  of  plants, 
or  mine  in  the  pulpy  substance  of  leaves ;  and  others  con- 
ceal themselves  in  the  ground,  from  which  they  issue  only 
when  in  search  of  food. 

Caterpillars  usually  change  their  skins  about  four  times 
before  they  come  to  their  growth.  At  length  they  leave  off 
eating  entirely,  and  prepare  for  their  first  transformation. 
Most  of  them,  at  this  period,  spin  around  their  bodies  a  sort 
of  shroud  or  cocoon,  into  which  some  interweave  the  hairs 
of  their  own  bodies,  and  some  employ,  in  the  same  way, 
leaves,  bits  of  wood,  or  even  grains  of  earth.  Other  cater- 
pillars suspend  themselves,  in  various  ways,  by  silken  threads, 
without  enclosing  their  bodies  in  cocoons ;  and  again,  there 
are  others  which  merely  enter  the  earth  to  undergo  their 
transformations . 

When  the  caterpillar  has  thus  prepared  itself  for  the  ap- 
proaching change,  by  repeated  exertions  and  struggles  it 
bursts  open  the  skin  on  the  top  of  its  back,  withdraws  the 
fore  part  of  its  body,  and  works  the  skin  backwards  till  the 
hinder  extremity  is  extricated.  It  then  no  longer  appears 
in  the  caterpillar  form,  but  has  become  a  pupa  or  chrysalis, 
shorter  than  the  caterpillar,  and  at  first  sight  apparently 
without  a  head  or  limbs.  On  close  examination,  however, 
there  may  be  found  traces  of  a  head,  tongue,  antennas,  wings, 
and  legs,  closely  pressed  to  the  body,  to  which  these  parts 


LEPIDOPTERA. 

are  cemented  by  a  kind  of  varnish.  Some  chrysalids  are 
angular,  or  furnished  with  little  protuberances  ;  but  most 
of  them  are  smooth,  rounded  at  one  end,  and  tapering  at 
the  other  extremity.  While  in  the  pupa  state  these  insects 
take  no  food,  and  remain  perfectly  at  rest,  or  only  move 
the  hinder  extremity  of  the  body  when  touched.  After  a 
while,  however,  the  chrysalis  begins  to  swell  and  contract, 
till  the  skin  is  rent  over  the  back,  and  from  the  fissure 
there  issues  the  head,  antennas,  and  body  of  a  butterfly  or 
moth.  When  it  first  emerges  from  its  pupa-skin  the  in- 
sect is  soft,  moist,  and  weak,  and  its  wings  are  small  and 
shrivelled  ;  soon,  however,  the  wings  stretch  out  to  their 
full  dimensions,  the  superfluous  moisture  of  the  body  passes 
off,  and  the  limbs  acquire  their  proper  firmness  and  elas- 
ticity. 

The  conversion  of  a  caterpillar  to  a  moth  or  butterfly 
is  a  transformation  of  the  most  complete  kind.  The  form 
of  the  body  is  altered,  some  of  the  legs  disappear,  the  others 
and  the  antenna?  become  much  longer  than  before,  and  four 
wings  are  acquired.  Moreover,  the  mouth  and  digestive 
organs  undergo  a  total  change ;  for  the  insect,  after  its  final 
transformation,  is  no  longer  fitted  to  subsist  upon  the  same 
gross  aliment  as  it  did  in  the  caterpillar  state ;  its  pow- 
erful jaws  have  disappeared,  and  instead  thereof  we  find  a 
slender  tongue,  by  means  of  which  liquid  nourishment  is 
conveyed  to  the  mouth  of  the  insect,  and  its  stomach  be- 
comes capable  of  digesting  only  water  and  the  honeyed  juice 
of  flowers. 

Ceasing  to  increase  in  size,  and  destined  to  live  but  a 
short  time  after  their  final  transformation,  butterflies  and 
moths  spend  this  brief  period  of  their  existence  in  flitting 
from  flower  to  flower  and  regaling  themselves  with  their 
sweets,  or  in  slaking  their  thirst  with  dew  or  witli  the 
water  left  standing  in  puddles  after  showers,  in  pairing  with 
their  mates,  and  in  laying  their  eggs ;  after  which  they  die 
a  natural  death,  or  fall  a  prey  to  their  numerous  enemies. 


CLASSIFICATION.  261 

These  insects  belong  to  an  order  called  LEPIDOPTERA, 
which  means  scaly  wings ;  for  the  mealy  powder  with  which 
their  wings  are  covered,  when  seen  under  a  powerful  micro- 
scope, is  found  to  consist  of  little  scales,  lapping  over  each 
other  like  the  scales  of  fishes,  and  implanted  into  the  skin 
of  the  wings  by  short  stems.  The  body  of  these  insects 
is  also  more  or  less  covered  with  the  same  kind  of  scales, 
together  with  hair  or  down  in  some  species.  The  tongue 
consists  of  two  tubular  threads  placed  side  by  side,  and  thus 
forming  an  instrument  for  suction,  which,  when  not  in  use, 
is  rolled  up  spirally  beneath  the  head,  and  is  more  or  less 
covered  and  concealed  on  each  side  by  a  little  scaly  or  hairy 
jointed  feeler.  The  shoulders  or  wing-joints  of  the  fore 
wings  are  covered,  on  each  side,  by  a  small  triangular  piece, 
forming  a  kind  of  epaulette,  or  shoulder-cover  ;  and  between 
the  head  and  the  thorax  is  a  narrow  piece,  clothed  with 
scales  or  hairs  sloping  backwards,  which  may  be  called  the 
collar.  The  wings  have  a  few  branching  veins,3  generally 
forming  one  or  two  large  meshes  on  the  middle.  The  legs 
are  six  in  number,  though  only  four  are  used  in  walking  by 
some  butterflies,  in  which  the  first  pair  are  very  short  and 
are  folded  like  a  tippet  on  the  breast ;  and  the  feet  are  five- 
jointed,  and  are  terminated,  each,  by  a  pair  of  claws. 

It  would  be  difficult,  and  indeed  impossible,  to  arrange 
the  Lepidopterous  insects  according  to  their  forms,  appear- 
ance, and  habits,  in  the  caterpillar  state,  because  the  cater- 
pillars of  many  of  them  are  as  yet  unknown  ;  and  therefore 
it  is  found  expedient  to  classify  them  mostly  according  to  the 
characters  furnished  by  them  in  the  winged  state. 

We  may  first  divide  the  Lepidoptera  into  three  great 
sections,  called  butterflies,  hawk-moths,  and  moths,  corre- 

[ 3  The  systematists  of  the  present  day  determine  genera,  and  even  species,  by 
the  peculiar  and  various  modifications  of  these  veins.  The  main  veins  are  called 
nemures,  the  branches  nermtles,  and  the  whole  system  Pterology.  The  French 
and  the  Germans  differ  as  to  the  names  of  the  distinct  veins,  so  that,  unless  a 
student  knows  to  which  of  the  schools  a  describer  belongs,  he  would  be  apt  to  be 
misled.  —  MORRIS.] 


262  LEPIDOPTERA. 

spending  to  the  genera  Papilio,  Sphinx,  and  Phalcena  of 
Linnaeus.4 

The  BUTTERFLIES  (Papiliones)  have  threadlike  antennae, 
which  are  knobbed  at  the  end ;  the  fore  wings  in  some,  and 
all  the  wings  in  the  greater  number,  are  elevated  perpen- 
{licularly,  and  turned  back  to  back,  when  at  rest ;  they  have 
generally  two  little  spurs  on  the  hind  legs  ;  and  they  fly 
by  day  only. 

The  HAWK-MOTHS  (/Sphinges)  generally  have  the  an- 
tennae thickened  in  the  middle,  and  tapering  at  each  end, 
and  most  often  hooked  at  the  tip ;  the  wings  are  narrow 
in  proportion  to  their  length,  and  are  confined  together  by 
a  bristle  or  bunch  of  stiff  hairs  on  the  shoulder  of  each  hind 
wing,  which  is  retained  by  a  corresponding  hook  on  the 
under  side  of  each  fore  wing ;  all  the  wings,  when  at  rest, 
are  more  or  less  inclined  like  a  roof,  the  upper  ones  cover- 
ing the  lower  wings ;  there  are  two  pairs  of  spurs  on  the 
hind  legs.  A  few  fly  by  day,  but  the  greater  number  in  the 
morning  and  evening  twilight. 

In  the  MOTHS  (Phalcence)  the  antennas  are  neither  knobbed 
at  the  end  nor  thickened  in  the  middle,  but  taper  from  the 
base  to  the  extremity,  and  are  either  naked,  like  a  bristle, 
or  are  feathered  on  each  side ;  the  wings  are  confined  to- 
gether by  bristles  and  hooks,  the  first  pair  covering  the  hind 
wings,  and  are  more  or  less  sloping  when  at  rest ;  and  there 
are  two  pairs  of  spurs  to  the  hind  legs.  These  insects  fly 
mostly  by  night. 

I.    BUTTERFLIES.     (Papiliones.) 

Besides  the  characters  already  given,  which  distinguish 
this  section  of  the  Lepidoptera,  it  may  be  stated  that  their 

[<  Modem  writers  divide  them  into  two  great  divisions:  1st,  Rhvpalocera,  with 
filiform  antenna,  terminating  in  a  club  or  knob,  from  poiraXov,  club,  and  Ktpas, 
horn;  and  2d,  Heleroctra,  with  antennae  of  variable  form,  sometimes  prismatic, 
linear,  pectinated,  plumose,  &c.,  &c.,  from  frtpos,  variable,  and  Ktpas ,  horn.  — 
MORRIS.) 


BUTTERFLIES.  263 

caterpillars  always  have  sixteen  legs  ;  namely,  two,  which  are 
tapering,  jointed,  and  scaly,  to  each  of  the  first  three  seg- 
ments behind  the  head,  and  a  pair  of  thick  fleshy  legs,  with- 
out joints,  to  all  the  remaining  segments,  except  the  fourth, 
fifth,  tenth,  and  eleventh. 

The  butterflies  are  divisible  into  two  tribes  ;  namely,  the 
true  butterflies,  which  carry  all  their  wings  upright  when 
at  rest ;  and  the  skippers,  which  have  only  the  fore  wings 
upright,  the  hind  wings  being  nearly  horizontal  when  at 
rest. 

1.     BUTTERFLIES. 

In  these  insects  all  the  wings  are  erect  when  at  rest,  and 
the  antennse  are  knobbed,  but  never  hooked,  at  the  end. 
Their  caterpillars  have  a  head  of  moderate  size,  suspend 
themselves  by  the  tail  when  about  to  transform,  and  are 
not  enclosed  in  cocoons.  Some  of  these  butterflies  have  the 
six  legs  all  equally  fitted  for  walking  ;  their  caterpillars  are 
more  or  less  cylindrical,  and  secure  themselves  by  a  trans- 
verse band,  as  well  as  by  the  tail,  previously  to  their  trans- 
formation to  chrysalids  ;  and  the  latter  are  angular.  All 
these  characters  exist  in  the  following  species. 

In  the  month  of  June  there  may  be  found  on  the  leaves 
of  the  parsley  and  carrot  certain  caterpillars,  (Plate  IV. 
Fig.  6,)  more  commonly  called  parsley-worms,  which  are 
somewhat  swelled  towards  the  fore  part  of  the  body,  but 
taper  a  little  behind.  When  first  hatched  they  are  less  than 
one  tenth  of  an  inch  in  length,  are  of  a  black  color,  with 
a  broad  white  band  across  the  middle,  and  another  on  the 
tail ;  and  the  back  is  studded  with  little  black  projecting 
points.  After  they  have  increased  in  size,  and  have  cast 
their  coats,  it  is  found  that  the  white  band  covers  only  the 
sixth  and  seventh  segments,  that  the  black  projecting  points 
spring  from  spots  of  an  orange  color,  and  on  the  lower  part 
of  the  sides  is  a  row  of  white  spots,  two  more  spots  of  the 
same  color  on  the  top  of  the  first  segment,  and  one  larger 


264  LEPIDOPTERA. 

spot  on  the  tail.  These  caterpillars  alter  in  color  and  ap- 
pearance with  each  successive  moulting,  and  before  they 
are  half  grown  the  projecting  points  and  the  white  band 
and  spots  entirely  disappear,  the  skin  becomes  perfectly 
smooth,  and  of  a  delicate  apple-green  color,  rather  paler 
at  the  sides  of  the  body  and  whitish  beneath,  and  on  each 
segment  there  is  a  transverse  band  consisting  of  black  and 
yellow  spots  alternately  arranged.  When  touched,  they 
thrust  forth,  from  a  slit  in  the  first  segment  of  the  body, 
just  behind  the  head,  a  pair  of  soft  orange-colored  horns, 
growing  together  at  the  bottom,  and  somewhat  like  the  letter 
Y  in  form.  The  horns  are  scent-organs,  and  give  out  a 
strong  and  disagreeable  smell,  perceptible  at  some  distance, 
and  seem  to  be  designed  to  defend  the  caterpillars  from  the 
annoying  attacks  of  flies  and  ichneumons.  These  caterpil- 
lars usually  come  to  their  full  size  between  the  10th  and 
20th  of  July,  and  then  measure  about  one  inch  and  a  half 
in  length.  After  this  they  leave  off  eating,  desert  the  plants, 
and  each  one  seeks  some  sheltered  spot,  such  as  the  side  of 
a  building  or  fence,  or  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  where  it  prepares 
for  its  transformation.  It  first  spins  a  little  web  or  tuft  of 
silk  against  the  surface  whereon  it  is  resting,  and  entangles 
the  hooks  of  its  hindmost  feet  in  it,  so  as  to  fix  them  securely 
to  the  spot ;  it  then  proceeds  to  make  a  loop  or  girth  of  many 
silken  threads  bent  into  the  form  of  the  letter  U,  the  ends 
of  which  are  fastened  to  the  surface  on  which  it  rests  on 
each  side  of  the  middle  of  its  body ;  and  under  this,  when 
finished,  it  passes  its  head,  and  gradually  works  the  loop 
over  its  back,  so  as  to  support  the  body,  and  prevent  it  from 
falling  downwards.  Though  it  generally  prefers  a  vertical 
surface  on  which  to  fasten  itself  in  an  upright  posture,  it 
sometimes  selects  the  under  side  of  a  limb  or  of  a  project- 
ing ledge,  where  it  hangs  suspended,  nearly  horizontally,  by 
its  feet  and  the  loop.  Within  twenty-four  hours  after  it  has 
taken  its  station,  the  caterpillar  casts  off  its  caterpillar-skin 
and  becomes  a  chrysalis,  or  pupa,  (Plate  IV.  Fig.  7,)  of  a 


THE    ASTERIAS    BUTTERFLY.  265 

pale  green,  ochre-yellow,  or  ash-gray  color,  with  two  short 
ear-like  projections  above  the  head,  just  below  which,  on  the 
upper  part  of  the  back,  is  a  little  prominence  like  a  pug- 
nose.  The  chrysalis  hangs  in  the  same  way  as  the  cater- 
pillar, and  remains  in  this  state  from  nine  to  fifteen  days, 
according  to  the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere,  cold  and  wet 
weather  having  a  tendency  to  prolong  the  period.  When 
this  is  terminated,  the  skin  of  the  chrysalis  bursts  open,  and 
a  butterfly  issues  from  it,  clings  to  the  empty  shell  till  its 
crumpled  and  drooping  wings  have  extended  to  their  full 
dimensions,  and  have  become  dried,  upon  which  it  flies  away 
in  pursuit  of  companions  and  food. 

This  butterfly  is  the  Papilio  Asterias5  of  Cramer.  (Plate 
IV.  Fig.  4.)  It  is  of  a  black  color,  with  a  double  row  of 
yellow  dots  on  the  back  ;  a  broad  band,  composed  of  yellow 
spots,  across  the  wings,  and  a  row  of  yellow  spots  near  the 
hind  margin  ;  the  hind  wings  are  tailed,  and  have  seven  blue 
spots  between  the  yellow  band  and  the  outer  row  of  yellow 
spots,  and,  near  their  hinder  angle,  an  eye-like  spot  of  an 
orange  color  with  a  black  centre  ;  and  the  spots  of  the  under 
side  are  tawny  orange.  The  female  (Plate  IV.  Fig.  5) 
differs  from  the  male,  above  described,  in  having  only  a  few 
small  and  distinct  yellow  spots  on  the  upper  side  of  the 
wings.  The  wings  of  this  butterfly  expand  from  three  and 
a  half  to  four  inches. 

During  the  month  of  July  the  Asterias  butterflies  may  be 
seen  in  great  abundance  upon  flowers,  and  particularly  on 
those  of  the  sweet-scented  Phlox.  They  lay  their  eggs,  in 
this  and  the  following  month,  on  various  umbellate  plants, 
placing  them  singly  on  different  parts  of  the  leaves  and 
stems.  I  have  found  the  caterpillars  on  the  parsley,  carrot, 
parsnip,  celery,  anise,  dill,  caraway,  and  fennel  of  our  gar- 
dens, as  well  as  on  the  conium,  cicuta,  sium,  and  other 
native  plants  of  the  same  natural  family,  which  originally 

[  5  The  synonymes  of  P.  Asterias  are  P.  Troilus  Smith  Abbot,  I.  pi.  1 ;  P.  Ajax 
Clerck,  Icon.,  t.  83;  P.  polyxenes  Fab.  —  MOKKIS.] 
34 


266  LEPIDOPTERA. 

constituted  the  appropriate  food  of  these  insects,  before  the 
exotic  species  furnished  them  with  a  greater  variety  and 
abundance. 

Their  injury  to  these  cultivated  plants  is  by  no  means 
inconsiderable ;  they  not  only  eat  the  leaves,  but  are  par- 
ticularly fond  of  the  blossoms  and  young  seeds.  I  have 
taken  twenty  caterpillars  on  one  plant  of  parsley,  which 
was  going  to  seed.  The  eggs  laid  in  July  and  August  are 
hatched  soon  afterwards,  and  the  caterpillars  come  to  their 
growth  towards  the  end  of  September,  or  the  beginning  of 
October ;  they  then  suspend  themselves,  become  chrysalids, 
in  which  state  they  remain  during  the  winter,  and  are  not 
transformed  to  butterflies  till  the  last  of  May  or  the  begin- 
ning of  June  in  the  following  year. 

I  know  of  no  method  so  effectual  for  destroying  these 
caterpillars  as  gathering  them  by  hand  and  crushing  them. 
An  expert  person  will  readily  detect  them  by  their  ravages 
on  the  plants  which  they  inhabit ;  and  a  few  minutes  de- 
voted, every  day  or  two,  to  a  careful  search  in  the  garden, 
during  the  season  of  their  depredations,  will  suffice  to  re- 
move them  entirely. 

There  is  another  butterfly  which  bears  a  close  resemblance 
to  the  female  of  the  Asterias  butterfly,  and  is  nearly  of  the 
same  size ;  but  the  blue  spots  on  the  hind  wings  are  much 
larger,  and  cover  nearly  one  third  of  the  surface ;  the  yel- 
low spots  around  the  margin  are  larger  and  paler  ;  the  eye- 
like  spot  near  the  hind  angle  has  not  a  black  centre,  and 
there  is  a  large  orange-colored  spot  near  the  middle  of  the 
front  margin  of  the  same  wings.  This  species  is  the  Troilus 
butterfly,  or  Papilio  Troilus  of  Linnaeus. 

The  caterpillar  is  entirely  different  from  that  of  the  As- 
terias butterfly.  It  lives  on  the  leaves  of  the  sassafras-tree, 
upon  the  upper  surface  of  which  it  spins  a  little  web,  and 
folds  over  the  sides  of  the  leaf  so  as  to  form  a  furrow  or 
case,  in  which  it  resides.  The  fore  part  of  its  body  is  large 
and  swollen,  and  it  tapers  thence  to  the  tail.  When  first 


THE    TROILUS    BUTTERFLY.  267 

hatched  it  is  slate-colored  above,  with  a  black  spot  like  an 
eye  on  each  side  of  the  third  segment,  below  and  behind 
which  is  a  large  and  long  white  spot,  and  the  top  of  the 
eleventh  segment  is  white.  After  changing  its  skin,  it  be- 
comes of  a  pale  brownish  olive  color,  the  white  spots  dis- 
appear, and  on  the  top  of  the  back  we  find  two  rows  of 
minute  blue  dots.  When  fourteen  or  fifteen  days  old  it 
changes  its  skin  and  its  colors  again,  the  back  becoming  pea- 
green,  with  blue  dots,  the  sides  yellowish,  and  the  head, 
belly,  and  legs  pink  ;  there  is  a  transverse  black  line  on 
the  top  of  the  first  segment,  and  there  are  two  large  orange- 
colored  spots  on  the  fourth  segment,  and  two  of  the  same 
color,  with  a  black  centre,  on  the  third  segment.  The  cat- 
erpillar retains  these  colors  from  ten  to  sixteen  days,  increas- 
ing greatly  in  size  during  this  period,  and  finally  attains  to 
the  length  of  two  inches  or  more.  It  comes  to  its  fall 
growth  when  about  four  weeks  old,  and  then  eats  no  longer, 
but,  deserting  its  leafy  habitation,  it  seeks  a  suitable  place  in 
which  to  undergo  its  transformation,  previously  to  which  it 
casts  off  its  green  coat,  and  appears  in  one  of  an  ochre-yellow 
color.  It  then  suspends  itself  in  the  same  way  as  the  cat- 
erpillar of  the  Asterias  butterfly,  and  within  two  or  three 
days  after  its  last  change  of  skin  it  moults  again,  and  be- 
comes a  chrysalis. 

The  chrysalis  is  generally  of  a  pale  wood-color,  smoother 
than  that  of  the  preceding  species,  and  with  rather  longer  and 
sharper  ear-like  projections.  The  chrysalids,  which  are  pro- 
duced from  caterpillars  hatched  in  August  and  September, 
remain  unchanged  through  the  winter,  and  are  not  trans- 
formed to  butterflies  till  the  middle  of  the  following  June. 
It  is  possible  that  these  butterflies  may  lay  their  eggs  so  early 
as  to  produce  a  brood  of  caterpillars  in  the  summer,  and  these 
may  come  to  their  growth,  and  pass  through  then*  transfor- 
mations, before  September  ;  but  I  have  only  found  the  cater- 
pillars towards  the  end  of  summer.  I  once  discovered  them 
on  the  leaves  of  the  lilac,  on  which  they  appeared  to  thrive 
quite  as  well  as  on  the  sassafras. 


268 


LEPIDOPTEBA. 


One  more  butterfly  is  found  in  Massachusetts,  resembling 
the  preceding  in  its  larva  state  and  in  its  habits.  It  is  our 
largest  species,  expanding  from  four  and  a  half  to  five  inches. 
The  prevailing  color  of  the  wings  is  yellow,  with  a  broad 
black  margin,  on  which  is  a  row  of  yellow  spots  ;  the  fore 


Fig.  97. 


wings  have  four  short  black  bands  extending  from  their  front 
edge,  and  the  hind  wings  are  tailed,  and  are  ornamented 
with  an  orange-red  spot  near  the  hind  angle.  It  is  the 
Papilw  Turnus  of  Linnaeus  (Fig.  97).* 

The  caterpillar  of  the  Turnus  butterfly  (Fig.   98)  lives 

upon  the  leaves  of  apple 
and  wild-cherry  trees,  folding 
them  up  in  the  same  way 
as  does  that  of  the  Troilus 
butterfly,  which,  moreover, 

[*  In  this  figure,  and  others  which  follow,  the  under  side  of  the  wing,  detached 
from  the  body  of  the  insect,  is  represented,  as  well  as  the  upper  side,  which  in 
this  figure  is  on  the  left,  and  connected  with  the  body.  —  ED.] 


Fig.  98. 


THE    WHITE    BUTTERFLY.  269 

it  resembles  in  form.  When  fully  grown,  it  measures  from 
two  to  two  and  a  half  inches  in  length ;  it  is  of  a  green  color 
above,  with  little  blue  dots  in  rows,  a  yellow  eye-spot  with 
a  black  centre  on  each  side  of  the  third  segment,  a  yellow 
and  black  band  across  the  fourth  segment,  and  the  head, 
belly,  and  legs  are  pink.  It  suspends  itself  and  becomes  a 
chrysalis  about  the  first  of  August,  and  is  not  changed  to  a 
butterfly  till  the  month  of  June  in  the  following  summer. 
Great  numbers  of  these  butterflies  are  sometimes  seen  around 
puddles  of  water  left  by  rain  in  New  Hampshire,  where  this 
species  is  much  more  common  and  abundant  than  in  Massa- 
chusetts. 

The  caterpillars  of  the  three  foregoing  species  are  the 
only  ones  in  Massachusetts  which  are  provided  with  forked 
scent-organs,  capable  of  being  withdrawn  and  concealed 
within  the  first  segment  of  the  body.  All  which  follow  are 
destitute  of  this  means  of  defence. 

In  Europe  there  are  several  kinds  of  caterpillars  which 
live  exclusively  on  the  cruciferous  or  oleraceous  plants,  such 
as  the  cabbage,  broccoli,  cauliflower,  kale,  radish,  turnip,  and 
mustard,  and  oftentimes  do  considerable  injury  to  them. 
The  prevailing  color  of  these  caterpillars  is  green,  and  that 
of  the  butterflies  produced  from  them,  white. 

They  belong  to  a  genus  called  Pontia ;  in  which  the  hind 
wings  are  not  scalloped  nor  tailed,  but  are  rounded  and 
entire  on  the  edges,  and  are  grooved  on  the  inner  edge  to 
receive  the  abdomen ;  the  feelers  are  rather  slender,  but 
project  beyond  the  head ;  and  the  antennae  have  a  short 
flattened  knob ;  their  caterpillars  are  nearly  cylindrical,  taper 
a  very  little  towards  each  end,  and  are  sparingly  clothed 
with  short  down,  which  requires  a  microscope  to  be  distinctly 
seen ;  they  suspend  themselves  by  the  tail  and  a  transverse 
loop ;  and  their  chrysalids  are  angular  at  the  sides,  and 
pointed  at  both  ends. 

In  the  northern  and  western  parts  of  Massachusetts  there 
is  a  white  butterfly,  which,  in  all  its  states,  agrees  with  the 


270  LEFIDOPTERA. 

foregoing  characters.     It  is  the  Pontia  oleracea 6  (Fig.  99), 

potherb  Pontia,  or  white 
butterfly,  and  was  first  de- 
scribed by  me  in  the  year 
1829,  in  the  seventh  vol- 
ume of  the  "  New  England 
Farmer."  *  About  the  last 
of  May,  and  the  beginning 
of  June,  it  is  seen  flutter- 
ing over  cabbage,  radish, 
and  turnip  beds,  and  patches  of  mustard,  for  the  purpose  of 
depositing  its  eggs.  These  are  fastened  to  the  under  sides 
of  the  leaves,  and  but  seldom  more  than  three  or  four  are 
left  upon  one  leaf.  The  eggs  are  yellowish,  nearly  pear- 
shaped,  longitudinally  ribbed,  and  are  one  fifteenth  of  an 
inch  in  length.  They  are  hatched  in  a  week  or  ten  days 
after  they  are  laid,  and  the  caterpillars  produced  from  them 
attain  their  full  size  when  three  weeks  old,  and  then  measure 
about  one  inch  and  a  half  in  length.  Being  of  a  pale  green 
color,  they  are  not  readily  distinguished  from  the  ribs  of  the 
leaves  beneath  which  they  live.  They  do  not  devour  the 
leaf  at  its  edge,  but  begin  indiscriminately  upon  any  part  of 
its  under  side,  through  which  they  eat  irregular  holes. 

When  they  have  completed  the  feeding  stage,  they  quit 
the  plants,  and  retire  beneath  palings,  or  the  edges  of  stones, 
or  into  the  interstices  of  walls,  where  they  spin  a  little  tuft 
of  silk,  entangle  the  hooks  of  their  hindmost  feet  in  it,  and 
then  proceed  to  form  a  loop  to  sustain  the  fore  part  of  the 
body  in  a  horizontal  or  vertical  position.  Bending  its  head 
on  one  side,  the  caterpillar  fastens  to  the  surface,  beneath  the 
middle  of  its  body,  a  silken  thread,  which  it  carries  across 

[•  Pontia  oleracea  belongs  to  the  genus  Pieris  Schrk.  (Morris's  Catalogue). 
The  P.  caUa  of  Kirby,  in  Faun.  Bor.,  IV.  288,  is  only  a  variety  of  Harris's  P. 
oleracea;  and  Kirby's  casta  is  the  cruciferarum  of  Boisd.  Spec.  Gen.,  I.  519.— 
MORRIS.] 

•  Page  402.  For  a  figure  of  it,  see  "  Lake  Superior,"  by  Agassiz  and  Cabot. 
pi.  7,  fig.  1. 


THE    WHITE    BUTTERFLY.  271 

its  back  and  secures  on  the  other  side,  and  repeats  this 
operation  till  the  united  threads  have  formed  a  band  or  loop 
of  sufficient  strength.  On  the  next  day  it  casts  off  the 
caterpillar  skin,  and  becomes  a  chrysalis.  This  is  sometimes 
of  a  pale  green,  and  sometimes  of  a  white  color,  regularly 
and  finely  dotted  with  black ;  the  sides  of  the  body  are 
angular,  the  head  is  surmounted  by  a  conical  tubercle, 
and  over  the  fore  part  of  the  body,  corresponding  to  the 
thorax  of  the  included  butterfly,  is  a  thin  projection,  having 
in  profile  some  resemblance  to  a  Roman  nose. 

The  chrysalis  state  lasts  eleven  days,  at  the  expiration  of 
which  the  insect  comes  forth  a  butterfly.  The  wings  are 
white,  but  dusky  next  to  the  body ;  the  tips  of  the  upper 
ones  are  yellowish  beneath,  with  dusky  veins ;  the  under 
side  of  the  hinder  wings  is  straw-colored,  with  broad  dusky 
veins,  and  the  angles  next  to  the  body  are  deep  yellow ;  the 
back  is  black,  and  the  antennae  are  blackish,  with  narrow 
white  rings,  and  ochre-yellow  at  the  tips.  The  wings  ex- 
pand about  two  inches. 

I  have  seen  these  butterflies  in  great  abundance  during  the 
latter  part  of  July  and  the  beginning  of  August,  in  pairs,  or 
laying  their  eggs  for  a  second  brood  of  caterpillars.  The 
chrysalids  produced  from  this  autumnal  brood  survive  the 
winter,  and  the  butterflies  are  not  disclosed  from  them  till 
May  or  June.  In  gardens  or  fields  infested  by  the  cater- 
pillars, boards,  placed  horizontally  an  inch  or  two  above  the 
surface  of  the  soil,  will  be  resorted  to  by  them  when  they 
are  about  to  change  to  chrysalids,  and  here  it  will  be  easy 
to  find,  collect,  and  destroy  them,  either  in  the  caterpillar 
or  chrysalis  state.  The  butterflies  also  may  easily  be  taken 
by  a  large  and  deep  bag-net  of  muslin,  attached  to  a  handle 
of  five  or  six  feet  in  length  ;  for  they  fly  low  and  lazily, 
especially  when  busy  in  laying  their  eggs.  In  Europe  the 
caterpillars  of  the  white  butterflies  are  eaten  by  the  larger 
titmouse  (Parus  major),  and  probably  our  own  titmouse 
or  chickadee,  with  other  insect-eating  birds,  will  be  found 
equally  useful,  if  properly  protected. 


272 


LEPIDOPTERA. 


Fig.  100. 


Fig.  101. 


Twice  a  year  our  pastures  and  road-sides  are  enlivened 
by  great  numbers  of  the  small  yellow  Philodice  butterfly 

{Colias  Philodice  of  Go- 
dart).  (Fig.  100,  male ; 
Fig.  101,  female.)  They 
begin  to  appear  towards 
the  end  of  April,  are 
common  throughout  the 
month  of  May,  after  which 
no  more  are  seen  till  near 
the  end  of  July,  when  a 
new  brood  begins  to  come 
forth,  and  some  of  them 
continue  till  late  in  the 
autumn.  Their  wings  are 
yellow,  with  a  black  hind 
border,  which  in  the  fe- 
males is  quite  broad  on 
the  fore  wings,  and  spotted  with  yellow ;  the  fringes  of  the 
wings,  the  antennae,  and  the  shanks  are  red  ;  the  fore  wings 
have  a  small  narrow  black  spot  on  both  sides  near  the  mid- 
dle ;  the  hind  wings  have  a  round  orange-colored  spot  in 
the  middle  of  the  upper  side,  which  on  the  under  side  is 
replaced  by  a  large  and  a  small  silvery  spot  close  together, 
and  surrounded  by  a  rust-colored  ring. 

The  males  are  generally  smaller  than  the  females.  The 
caterpillars  live  upon  clover,  medicago,  and  lucerne,  and  I 
have  occasionally  found  them  on  pea-vines.  They  are  green, 
slightly  downy,  paler  or  yellowish  at  the  sides,  and  grow  to 
the  length  of  about  one  inch  and  a  half.  They  suspend 
themselves  to  the  stems  of  plants  by  the  tail  and  a  trans- 
verse loop,  in  the  same  way  as  the  preceding  species.  The 
chrysalis  (Fig.  102)  is  straw-colored,  not  angulated  at  the 
sides,  with  a  slight  prominence  over  the  thorax,  and  the 
anterior  extremity  ends  in  a  short  and  blunt  point.  The 
gunus  Colias,  to  which  the  Pliilodice  butterfly  belongs,  is 


THE    LYCENIANS.  273 

distinguished  by  the  following  characters.     Six  legs  formed 
for    walking  ;     short    antennae,     gradually- 
thickened  towards  the  end ;  wings  entire, 
hinder  ones  rounded,  with  a  gutter  on  their 
inner  edge  to   receive   the   abdomen,    and 

O  ' 

the  central  mesh  closed  behind  by  an  an- 
gular vein ;  caterpillars  cylindrical,  smooth 
or  downy ;  not  striped  on  the  top  of  the 
back ;  suspending  themselves  by  the  tail 
and  a  loop  round  the  body  ;  chrysalids 
somewhat  gibbous  or  bulging,  not  angulated 
at  the  sides,  and  conical  at  the  upper  ex- 
tremity. 

We  have  several  kinds  of  small  six-footed  butterflies,  some 
of  which  are  found,  during  the  greater  part  of  the  summer, 
in  the  fields  and  around  the  edges  of  woods,  flying  low  and 
frequently  alighting,  and  oftentimes  collected  together  in  little 
swarms  on  the  flowers  of  the  clover,  mint,  and  other  sweet- 
scented  plants.  Their  caterpillars  secure  themselves  by  the 
hind  feet  and  a  loop,  when  about  to  transform ;  but  they  are 
very  short  and  almost  oval,  flat  below  and  more  or  less 
convex  above,  with  a  small  head,  which  is  concealed  under 
the  first  ring ;  and  the  feet,  which  are  sixteen  in  number, 
are  so  short,  that  these  caterpillars  in  moving  seem  to  glide 
rather  than  creep.  The  chrysalids  (Fig.  103)  are  Fig.  103. 
short  and  thick,  with  the  under  side  flat,  the  upper  /<*Bf»v 
side  very  convex,  and  both  extremities  rounded  or 
obtuse.  They  belong  to  a  little  group  which  may  be  called 
Lycenians  (LYOENAD.E),  from  the  principal  genus  included 
in  it. 

The  most  common  of  these  butterflies  has  generally  been 
mistaken  for  the  European  Lyccena  Phlceas,  but  I  am  con- 
vinced that  it  is  distinct,  and  propose  to  call  it  the  American 
copper  butterfly,  Lyccena  Americana  (Fig.  104).  The  fore 
wings  on  the  upper  side  are  coppery  red,  with  about  eight 
small  square  black  spots,  and  the  hind  margin  broadly  bor- 

35 


1*74  LEPIDOPTERA. 

dered  witli  dusky  brown  ;  hind  wings  with  a  few  small  black 
spots  on  the  middle,  and  a  broad  cop- 
pery-red band  on  the  hind  margin. 
The  wings  expand  from  1-^y  to  1-J- 
inch.  This  butterfly  is  found  through- 
out the  summer  fluttering  on  the 
grass  and  other  low  plants.  The 
caterpillar  is  long,  oval,  and  slightly  convex  above,  and  of 
a  greenish  color ;  it  probably  lives,  like  the  Phlceas,  on  the 
leaves  of  dock  and  sorrel.  The  chrysalis,  which  is  usually 
suspended  under  a  stone,  is  light  yellowish-brown,  and  spot- 
ted with  black  dots. 

The  Epixanthe  butterfly,  Lyccena  Epixanihe  (Boisduval), 
resembles  the  preceding  in  form  and  size,  but  is  of  a  dusky 
brown  color  above,  with  a  few  black  spots  on  the  middle  of 
the  wings,  and  a  narrow,  wavy  band,  or  a  few  contiguous 
spots  of  an  orange  color  on  the  hinder  margin  of  the  pos- 
terior wings.  This  species  is  rather  rare.  The  wings  in 
both  these  butterflies  are  entire,  or  not  notched  or  tailed,  and 
the  knobs  of  their  antenna3  are  short,  thick,  and  nearly  oval. 
There  are  others  with  the  hind  wings  also  entire  and 

O 

rounded,  but  the  knobs  of  the  antennae  are  longer  and  not 

near  so  thick,  and  their  caterpillars  are  shorter  and  very 

convex   above.      These   characters    exist   in    the    beautiful 

a/ure-blue   butterfly,  Polyommatm  Pseudargiolns  (Boisd.), 

(Fig.  105,  male,  Fig.  106,  var.  profile,)   which  measures 

Fig.  105.  Fig.  106.         from    1TV   to   l£    inch 

\     /  *f>~*  across  the  wings.   These 

^H^^  \\.  /    ^>^^».  $&*\  1  1      '  T     T 

•       *f&~  m   the  male   are   light 

:~ .-  V        flSKK  . 

«OStKi  /f       ^  (>n         upper  aide, 
I  aU        with  the  lustre  of  satin ; 

~S.  V         M  _SkV  »sWJ^*Vv 

SJ  the  fore  wings    of  the 

female  have  a  broad  blackish  outer  margin,  and  on  that  of 
the  hind  wings  is  a  row  of  small  blackish  spots ;  all  the 
wings  on  the  under  side  are  pearl-gray,  with  little  blackish 
spots  ;  the  fringes  of  the  wings  are  white. 


THE     COMYNTAS    BUTTERFLY.  275 

The  blue  Lucia  butterfly  (Polyommatus  Lucia  of  Kirby) 
greatly  resembles  the  preceding,  but  the  black  border  of 
the  fore  wings  in  the  female  is  not  so  broad,  the  fringes  of 
the  wings  are  spotted  with  black,  and  all  the  wings  on  the 
under  side  are  dusky  gray,  with  larger  blackish  spots,  and  a 
broad  blackish  border  behind.  Mr.  Kirby  has  described  only 
the  male  of  this  butterfly,  in  the  fourth  volume  of  the  Fauna 
Boreali- Americana.  It  is  found  in  April  and  May. 

The  Comyntas  butterfly  (Polyommatus  Oomyntas  of  Go- 
dart)  is  readily  distinguished  from  the  foregoing  by  having 
a  little  thread-like  tail  on  the  edge  of  the  hind  wings.  The 
wings  in  the  males  are  violet  blue,  and  in  the  females  black- 
ish glossed  with  blue  on  the  upper  side,  with  whitish  fringes  ; 
there  are  several  blackish  spots  around  the  hind  margins, 
and  on  the  hind  wings  near  the  posterior  margin  two  cres- 
cents of  a  deep  orange-color.  The  under  sides  of  all  the 
wings  are  gray,  with  black  spots  encircled  with  white,  and 
each  of  the  two  orange-colored  crescents  of  the  hind  wings 
encloses  a  deep  black  spot  encircled  with  silvery  blue.  The 
wings  expand  about  one  inch.  This  butterfly  is  found  in 
dry  woods  and  pastures  in  July  and  August,  and  the  cater- 
pillars live  on  the  leaves  of  the  Lespedeza,  which  grows  in 
those  places.  They  are  oval,  convex,  and  downy,  of  a  pale 
green  color  with  three  darker  green  lines,  the  sides  of  the 
body  reddish,  and  the  head  black.  The  chrysalis,  which  is 
usually  fastened  to  a  leaf,  is  at  first  pale  green,  but  becomes 
brownish  afterwards ;  it  is  sparingly  clothed  with  whitish 
hairs,  and  there  are  three  rows  of  black  dots  on  the  back. 
The  chrysalis  state  lasts  from  nine  to  eleven  days. 

We  have  several  more  of  these  small  butterflies  with 
thread-like  tails  on  their  hind  wings,  but  they  differ  from 
all  the  preceding  species  in  having  the  knobs  of  the  antennae 
longer  and  nearly  cylindrical,  the  eyes  covered  with  a  very 
fine  down,  and  an  oval  opaque  spot  on  the  fore  wings,  near 
the  front  margin  in  the  males.  They  belong  to  the  genus 
Theda.  Their  caterpillars  are  longer  and  flatter  than  those 


276  LEPIDOPTERA. 

in  the  genus  Polyommatm,  and  they  usually  live  on  trees. 
One  of  our  largest  kinds  is  the  Falacer  butterfly  (^Thecla 
Falacer  of  Godart).  Its  wings  expand  from  IT\J  inch  to  l-j*0- 
inch,  are  dark  brown  on  the  upper  side,  with  two  slender 
tails,  one  of  which  is  very  short,  on  each  of  the  hind 
wings  ;  and  on  the  hind  margin  of  the  same  wings  is  an 
orange-colored  spot,  larger  and  more  conspicuous  in  the 
females  than  in  the  other  sex ;  the  under  side  of  the  wings 
is  lighter  brown;  and  on  each  wing  near  the  middle  is  a 
dark-brown  spot  margined  within  and  without  with  white, 
and  beyond  the  middle  there  are  two  rows  of  spots  of  the 
same  color,  bordered  on  one  side  only  with  white ;  besides 
these  spots,  there  are  on  the  hind  wings  near  the  margin  three 
or  four  orange-colored  crescents,  the  inner  one  of  which  is 
separated  from  the  others  by  a  large  blue  spot.  This  insect 
is  found  among  bushes  in  July  and  August.  The  caterpil- 
lar is  said  to  live  upon  various  kinds  of  hawthorns. 

The  streaked  Thecla  ( Thecla  strigosa)  has  a  long  and  a 
short  tail  on  each  of  the  hind  wings,  and  is  of  a  dark-brown 
color  without  spots  on  the  upper  side ;  the  wings  beneath  are 
ornamented  with  wavy  transverse  white  streaks,  and  near 
the  hind  margin  of  the  posterior  wings  is  a  row  of  deep 
orange-colored  crescents,  with  a  large  blue  spot  near  the 
hindmost  angle.  It  measures  one  inch  and  one  tenth  across 
the  wings.  I  took  it  on  Blue  Hill  on  the  1st  of  August.  In 
the  markings  of  the  under  side  of  the  wings  it  nearly  resem- 
bles Thecla  Liparops. 

The  heads  of  the  common  hop  are  frequently  eaten  by  the 
little  green  and  downy  caterpillars  of  a  very  pretty  butterfly, 
which  has  been  mistaken  for  the  Thecla  Favonius,  figured 
in  Mr.  Abbot's  "  Natural  History  of  the  Insects  of  Georgia"; 
but  it  differs  from  it  in  so  many  respects,  that  I  do  not 
hesitate  to  give  it  another  name,  and  will  therefore  call  it 
the  hop- vine  Thecla,  Thecla  Humuli1  *  (Plate  IV.  Fig.  3). 

I  *  T.  Humuli  is  the  T.  metinus  of  Hiibner.  —  MORRIS.] 

*  M.  Boisduval  has  figured  and  described  this  species  under  the  name  of  Thecla 
Fanmitu  in  his  "Histoire  des  Lfyidopteres  de  1'Amdrique  Septentrionale." 


THE    AUBURN    THECLA.  277 

The  wings  on  the  upper  side  are  dusky  brown,  with  a  tint 
of  blue-gray,  and,  in  the  males,  there  is  an  oval  darker 
spot  near  the  front  edge ;  the  hind  wings  have  two  short, 
thread-like  tails,  the  inner  one  the  longest,  and  tipped  with 
white ;  along  the  hind  margin  of  these  same  wings  is  a  row 
of  little  pale  blue  spots,  interrupted  by  a  large  orange-red 
crescent  enclosing  a  small  black  spot ;  the  wings  beneath 
are  slate-gray,  with  two  wavy  streaks  of  brown  edged  on 
one  side  with  white,  and  on  the  hind  wings  an  orange- 
colored  spot  near  the  hind  angle,  and  a  larger  spot  of  the 
same  color  enclosing  a  black  dot  just  before  the  tails.  It 
expands  one  inch  and  one  tenth. 

The  last  of  these  butterflies  with  two  tails  to  each  of  the 
hind  wings,  does  not  seem  to  have  been  described,  unless  it 
is  to  be  referred  to  the  SimaeiMs  of  Drury,  the  Damon  of 
Cramer,  or  the  Smilacis  of  Boisduval,  with  the  descriptions 
of  which  it  does  not  fully  agree.  I  propose,  therefore,  to  call 
it  the  Auburn  Thecla  (Thecla  Auburniana),  from  a  favorite 
spot  near  Cambridge,  formerly  known  by  the  name  of  Sweet 
Auburn,  where  I  have  repeatedly  taken  it  before  the  place 
was  converted  to  a  cemetery.  As  in  the  preceding  species, 
the  outermost  of  the  tails  is  very  short,  and  often  nothing 
remains  of  it  but  a  little  tooth  on  the  edge  of  the  wing.  It 
varies  considerably  in  color ;  the  females  are  generally  deep 
brown  above,  but  sometimes  the  wings  are  rust-colored  or 
tawny  in  the  middle,  as  they  always  are  in  the  males ;  the 
oval  opaque  spot  which  characterizes  the  latter  sex  is  ochre- 
yellow.  Upon  the  under  side  the  wings  in  both  sexes  are 
green,  the  anterior  pair  tinged  with  brown  from  the  middle 
to  the  inner  edge ;  externally,  next  to  the  fringe,  they  are 
all  margined  by  a  narrow  wavy  white  line,  bordered  inter- 
nally with  brown  ;  this  line  on  the  fore  wings  does  not  reach 
the  inner  margin ;  on  the  hind  wings  it  consists  of  six  spots 
arranged  in  a  zigzag  manner,  and  the  last  spot  next  to  the 
inner  margin  is  remote  from  the  rest ;  besides  these  there  are 
on  the  same  wings  three  more  white  spots  bordered  with 


278  LEPIDOPTERA. 

brown  between  the  zigzag  band  and  the  base ;  and  between 
the  same  band  and  the  margin  three  black  spots,  behind  the 
middle  one  of  which  is  a  rust-red  spot  with  a  black  centre. 
The  wings  expand  from  1^  to  1TV  inch.  This  pretty  species 
is  found  on  the  mouse-ear  (Grnaphalium  plantagineum)  in 
May,  and  on  the  flowers  of  the  spearmint  in  August. 

Some  kinds  of  Thecla  have  the  hind  edges  of  the  wings 
notched,  but  not  tailed.     This  is  the  case  with  the  Niphon 
Fig.  107.  butterfly  ( Tlieda  Niphon   of  Hiib- 

ner),  (Fig.  107,)  which  has  been 
taken  at  Sweet  Auburn  early  in 
May.  As  in  the  Auburn  butterfly, 
the  wings  are  deep  brown  above, 
with  a  large  rusty  space  on  each  ; 
the  notches  on  their  edges  are  white,  and  the  teeth  between 
them  are  rounded  and  of  a  black  color ;  on  the  under  side 
the  wings  are  light  brown,  with  dark  brown  wavy  and  zigzag 
lines,  two  of  which  are  bordered  on  one  side  with  white. 
The  wings  expand  l£  inch. 

The  Mopsus  butterfly  (  Thecla  Mopzus  of  Hiibner)  differs 
from  all  the  foregoing  in  having  the  hind  wings  entire  and 
not  tailed ;  but  the  inner  angle  projects  a  little,  as  it  does  in 
some  species  of  Lyc&na.  In  form,  and  in  the  color  and 
arrangement  of  the  spots  on  the  under  side  of  the  wings, 
i*  approaches  to  the  Phlceas  and  Americana;  but  in  these 
species  the  eyes  are  not  downy,  and  the  males  have  not  the 
oval  opaque  spot  near  the  front  margin  of  the  anterior  wings. 
The  Mopsus  butterfly  is  dark  brown  above,  with  a  row  of 
seven  or  eight  deep  orange-colored  spots  near  the  margin  of 
the  hind  wings,  larger  and  much  more  conspicuous  on  the 
under  than  on  the  upper  side.  The  wings  beneath  are  light 
brown,  with  a  row  of  deep  orange  or  vermilion-colored  spots 
near  the  hind  margins  of  all  the  wings,  an  inner  and  more 
irregular  row  of  small  black  spots  encircled  with  white  on 
the  same,  and  two  more  similar  spots  close  together  on  the 
middle  of  the  liind  wings.  It  expands  l-j*ff  inch.  My  only 


FOUR-FOOTED    BUTTERFLIES.  279 

specimen  of  this  fine  butterfly  was  taken  at  Sandwich,  by 
Mr.  John  Bethune. 

Some  butterflies  have  the  first  pair 
of  legs  so  much  shorter  than  the  oth- 
ers that  they  cannot  be  used  in  walk- 
ing, and  are  folded  on  the  breast  like 

O7 

a    tippet.      Their    caterpillars,    when 
about   to   transform,    do  not   make  a  Thecla  AugU8ta' 

loop  to  support  the  fore  part  of  the  body,  but  suspend  them- 
selves vertically  by  the  hindmost  feet.  As  they  all  secure 
themselves  pretty  much  in  the  same  way,  it  may  be  proper 
to  explain  the  process.  Having  finished  eating,  the  caterpil- 
lar wanders  about  till  it  has  discovered  a  suitable  situation 
in  which  to  pass  through  its  transformations.  This  may  be 
the  under  side  of  a  branch  or  of  a  leaf,  or  any  other  hor- 
izontal object  beneath  which  it  can  find  sufficient  room  for 
its  future  operations. 

Here  it  spins  a  web  or  tuft  of  silk,  fastening  it  securely  to 
the  surface  beneath  which  it  is  resting,  entangles  the  hooks 
of  its  hindmost  feet  among  the  threads,  and  then  contracts 
its  body  and  lets  itself  drop  so  as  to  hang  suspended  by  the 
hind  feet  alone,  the  head  and  fore  part  of  the  body  being 
curved  upwards  in  the  form  of  a  hook.  After  some  hours, 
the  skin  over  the  bent  part  of  the  body  is  rent,  the  fore  part 
of  the  chrysalis  protrudes  from  the  fissure,  and,  by  a  wrig- 
gling kind  of  motion,  the  caterpillar-skin  is  slipped  back- 
wards till  only  the  extremity  of  the  chrysalis  remains  attached 
to  it.  The  chrysalis  has  now  to  release  itself  entirely  from 
the  caterpillar-skin,  which  is  gathered  in  folds  around  its  tail, 
and  to  make  itself  fast  to  the  silken  tuft  by  the  minute  hooks 
with  which  the  hinder  extremity  is  provided.  Not  having 
the  assistance  of  a  transverse  loop  to  support  its  body  while 
it  disengages  its  tail,  the  attempt  would  seem  perilous  in  the 
extreme,  if  not  impossible.  Without  having  witnessed  the 
operation,  we  should  suppose  that  the  insect  would  inevitably 
fall,  while  endeavoring  to  accomplish  its  object.  But,  al- 


280  LEPIDOPTERA. 

though  unprovided  with  ordinary  limbs,  it  is  not  left  without 
the  means  to  extricate  itself  from  its  present  difficulty. 

The  hinder  and  tapering  part  of  the  chrysalis  consists  of 
several  rings  or  segments,  so  joined  together  as  to  be  capable 
of  moving  from  side  to  side  upon  each  other ;  and  these 
supply  to  it  the  place  of  hands.  By  bending  together  two 
of  these  rings  near  the  middle  of  the  body,  the  chrysalis 
seizes,  in  the  crevice  between  them,  a  portion  of  the  empty 
caterpillar-skin,  and  clings  to  it  so  as  to  support  itself  while 
it  withdraws  its  tail  from  the  remainder  of  the  skin. 

It  is  now  wholly  out  of  the  skin,  to  which  it  hangs  sus- 
pended by  nipping  together  the  rings  of  its  body ;  but,  as 
the  chrysalis  is  much  shorter  than  the  caterpillar,  it  is  yet 
at  some  distance  from  the  tuft  of  silk,  to  which  it  must 
climb  before  it  can  fix  in  it  the  hooks  of  its  hinder  extremity. 
To  do  this,  it  extends  the  rings  of  its  body  as  far  apart  as 
possible,  then,  bending  together  two  of  them  above  those  by 
which  it  is  suspended,  it  catches  hold  of  the  skin  higher  up, 
at  the  same  time  letting  go  below,  and,  by  repeating  this 
process  with  different  rings  in  succession,  i$  at  length  reaches 
the  tuft  of  silk,  entangles  its  hooks  among  the  threads,  and 
then  hangs  suspended  without  further  risk  of  falling.  It 
next  contrives  to  dislodge  the  cast  caterpillar-skin  by  whirl- 
ing itself  around  repeatedly,  till  the  old  skin  is  finally  loos- 
ened from  its  attachment  and  falls  to  the  ground.  The 
whole  of  this  operation,  difficult  as  it  may  seem,  is  performed 
in  the  space  of  a  very  few  minutes,  and  rarely  does  the  in- 
sect fail  to  accomplish  it  successfully  and  safely. 

We  may  see  the  whole  process  in  the  caterpillars  of  the 
Archippus  butterfly  (Danais  Archippus  of  Fabricius),  which 
lives  on  the  common  silk-weed  or  milk-weed  (Asdepias 
Syriaca)  in  June  and  July.  This  caterpillar  is  cylindrical, 
with  a  pair  of  thread-like  black  horns  on  the  top  of  the 
second  segment,  and  a  shorter  pair  on  the  eleventh  segment, 
and  its  body  is  marked  with  alternate  transverse  bands  of 
\-«-llow,  black,  and  white.  It  comes  to  its  growth  in  about 


THE    ARCHIPPUS    BUTTERFLY.  281 

fourteen  days,  during  which  it  changes  its  skin  three  times, 
and  finally  attains  to  the  length  of  nearly  two  inches.  The 
chrysalis  is  about  an  inch  long,  but  very  thick,  nearly  cylin- 
drical in  the  middle,  and  rounded  at  each  end,  with  a  very 
slender  black  point,  by  which  it  is  suspended.  Its  skin  is 
exceedingly  thin  and  delicate,  of  a  light  green  color,  and 
ornamented  with  golden  spots  and  a  transverse  stripe  of 
black  and  gold.  The  chrysalis  state  lasts  ten  or  twelve  days, 
at  the  expiration  of  which  the  butterfly  comes  forth.  The 
Archippus  butterfly  is  very  common  on  flowers,  particularly 
on  low  lands,  from  the  middle  of  July  to  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember. The  wings  on  the  upper  side  are  tawny  orange,  on 
the  under  side  deep  nankin-yellow ;  they  are  surrounded  by 
a  black  border  spotted  with  white  ;  the  veins  are  black,  and 
there  are  several  yellow  and  white  spots  on  the  black  tips  of 
the  fore  wings.  The  males  are  distinguished  by  an  elevated 
black  spot  contiguous  to  one  of  the  veins  near  the  middle  of 
the  hind  wings.  This  butterfly  measures  across  the  wings 
from  3f  to  4|  inches.  The  antennae  in  the  genus  Danais 
have  a  long  and  curved  knob ;  the  head  and  thorax  are 
spotted  with  white ;  the  males  have  an  elevated  spot  near  the 
middle  of  the  hind  wings,  which  in  both  sexes  are  rounded, 
and  never  tailed  or  indented.  The  caterpillars  are  furnished 
with  projecting  thread-like  horns  in  pairs,  and  the  chrysalids 
are  short  and  thick,  somewhat  oval,  and  are  ornamented  with 
golden  spots.  The  other  characters  of  the  genus  are  the 
same  as  those  of  the  division  to  which  it  belongs. 

We  have  another  four-footed  butterfly  which  closely  re- 
sembles the  Archippus  in  color  and  markings,  but  differs  from 
it  entirely  in  the  chrysalis  and  caterpillar  state.  It  is  the 
Disippe  butterfly  {Nymphalls  Disippe*  of  Godart).  (Fig. 
109.)  It  is  of  a  tawny  yellow  above,  and  of  a  paler  yellow 
beneath,  the  wings  are  surrounded  by  a  broad  black  border 
spotted  with  white,  the  veins  are  black,  there  is  a  triangular 
patch  spotted  with  white  near  the  tips  of  the  fore  wings,  and 

*  This  is  the  Misipjms  of  Fabricius,  but  not  of  Linnaeus. 
36 


282  LEPIDOPTERA. 

on  the  hind  wings  a  curved  black  band.  It  expands  from 
three  to  three  and  a  half  inches.  The  caterpillar  lives  on 
the  poplar  and  willow  ;  it  is  of  a  pale  brown  color,  more  or 
less  variegated  with  white  on  the  sides,  and  sometimes  with 
green  on  the  back ;  the  head  is  notched  on  the  top ;  there  is 
a  hump  on  the  second  segment,  from  which  proceed  two 

Fig.  109. 


slender  blackish  horns,  barbed  on  all  sides  with  little  points  ; 
the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth  segments  are  also  somewhat 
humped  above,  and  on  the  tenth  and  eleventh  are  short  tu- 
bercles. It  suspends  itself  by  the  hind  feet,  before  chang- 
ing to  a  chrysalis.  The  latter  is  angular,  and  tapers  towards 
the  tail ;  it  is  of  a  pale  brown  or  ashen-gray  color,  with  the 
sides  of  the  back  and  the  extremity  of  the  body  whitish  ; 
and  there  is  a  thin  almost  circular  projection  standing  verti- 
cally on  its  edge  on  the  middle  of  the  back.  The  butterfly 
appears  in  September,  and  lays  its  eggs  for  a  second  brood 
of  caterpillars,  which  are  transformed  to  chrysalids  in  the 
autumn,  and  remain  without  further  change  till  the  following 
spring,  when  they  are  changed  to  butterflies. 

The  genus  Nymphalis*  is  readily  distinguished  by  the 
following  characters.  Four-footed  butterflies,  with  a  long 
straight  and  slender  knob  to  the  antennae,  the  edges  of  the 

*  The  name  Limenitis,  under  which  I  formerly  included  our  species,  is  now 
appropriated  by  Dr.  Uoisduvul  to  certain  butterflies  of  the  eastern  continent,  such 
as  the  CamiUa,  &c. 


THE    EPHESTION    BUTTERFLY.  283 

wings,  particularly  of  the  hinder  ones,  scalloped  but  not 
tailed,  the  inner  margin  grooved  so  as  to  receive  and  conceal 
the  abdomen  below,  no  closed  mesh  in  the  middle  of  the 
wings,  and  no  elevated  spot  on  them  in  the  males  ;  cater- 
pillars and  chrysalids  in  form  like  those  of  the  Disippe,  and 
suspended  only  by  the  hindmost  extremity. 

The  caterpillar  of  the  Ephestion  butterfly  (Nymphalis 
Ephestion  of  Stoll)  is  of  a  brownish  color,  more  or  less  varie- 
gated with  white  on  the  sides,  and  with  green  above,  and, 
like  that  of  the  Disippe,  has  two  long  barbed  brown  horns  on 
the  second  segment.  I  have  found  it  on  the  scrub-oak 
(Quercus  ilicifolia)  in  June,  but  Mr.  Abbot  says  it  lives  on 
the  whortleberry-bush  and  the  cherry-tree. 

The  chrysalis  is  not  to  be  distinguished  from  that  of  the 
Disippe  in  form  and  color,  and  the  butterfly  leaves  it  eleven 
days  after  the  insect  has  changed  from  a  caterpillar.  This 
butterfly  is  found  about  the  middle  of  June  ;  I  have  seen  it 
again  in  September,  though  rarely,  and  the  caterpillars  of 
the  last  brood  remain  in  the  chrysalis  state  throughout  the 
winter,  and  are  changed  to  butterflies  in  the  months  of  April 
and  May  following.  This  butterfly  is  of  a  blue-black  color, 
finely  glossed  with  blue  on  the  hinder  part  of  the  wings, 
the  scalloped  edges  of  which  are  white,  and  the  hind  njargins 
bordered  with  three  black  lines-;  near  the  tips  of  the  fore 
wings  are  two  or  three  white  spots,  and  just  within  the 
border  a  row  of  orange-colored  spots ;  these  spots  are  more 
distinct  on  the  under  side  of  the  fore  wings,  which  are  more 
or  less  tinged  with  brown,  and  have  near  the  body  two  large 
orange-colored  spots ;  on  the  under  side  of  the  hind  wings 
is  a  row  of  seven  orange-colored  spots  inside  of  the  hind 
border,  and  three  more  of  the  same  color  near  the  shoulders 
of  the  wings.  It  expands  from  3  to  3^  inches. 

The  Arthemis  butterfly  (Nymphakis  Arthemis  of  Drury) 
(Plate  I.  Fig.  7)  is  very  rare  in  Massachusetts,  but  more 
common  in  the  hilly  parts  of  New  Hampshire.  It  is 
smaller  than  the  preceding,  measuring  from  2f  to  3  inches, 


284  LEPIDOPTERA. 

resembles  it  a  good  deal  in  form  and  general  color,  but 
is  readily  distinguished  from  it,  and  from  all  the  other 
American  butterflies,  by  the  broad  white  arched  band  on  the 
wings,  which,  beginning  just  beyond  the  middle  of  the  front 
edge  of  the  fore  wings,  curves  backwards,  crossing  both 
wings,  and  ends  on  the  inner  edge  of  the  hind  wings.  The 
male  differs  from  the  female  in  having  a  row  of  orange-col- 
ored spots  on  the  upper  side  of  the  hind  wings  next  to  the 
border,  as  well  as  on  the  under  side.  The  caterpillar  and 
chrysalis  of  this  species  are  unknown  to  me. 

The  caterpillars  of  many  of  the  four-footed  butterflies  are 
spiny,  or  have  their  backs  armed  with  numerous  projecting 
points ;  these,  in  some,  are  short  and  soft,  and  beset  all 
around  with  very  small  stiff  hairs,  in  others  they  are  long, 
hard,  and  sharp  prickles,  which  generally  are  famished  with 
little  stiff  branches.  The  butterflies  have  the  knobs  of  the 
antennae  short  and  broad ;  the  feelers  are  rather  long,  and 
placed  close  together,  at  the  base  at  least ;  the  inner  margin 
of  the  hind  wings  is  folded  downwards,  and  grooved  for  the 
reception  of  the  body ;  the  central  mesh  of  these  wings  is 
not  closed  behind ;  and  the  nails  of  the  four  hind  feet  are 
divided  so  as  to  appear  double.  This  group  may  be  called 
Vanessians  (VANESSAD^:),  and  contains  the  genera  Argyn- 
nis,  Melitcea,  Cynthia,  and  Vanessa. 

In  Argynnis  the  wings  are  never  angulated  or  toothed, 
and  the  hind  ones  are  generally  ornamented  with  silvery  or 
pearly  spots  beneath ;  the  feelers  spread  apart  at  their  points ; 
the  caterpillars  have  a  round  head,  and  are  furnished  with 
branched  spines  on  all  their  segments,  two  of  those  on  the 
first  segment  being  usually  longer  than  the  rest,  and  directed 
forwards  ;  chrysalids  somewhat  angular,  arched,  rather  thick 
at  both  ends,  with  the  head  squared  or  very  slightly  notched, 
without  a  prominent  nose-like  projection  on  the  thorax,  and 
on  the  back  are  two  rows  of  projecting  points,  which  are 
usually  golden-colored.  Most  of  the  caterpillars  in  this 
genus  are  observed  to  live  on  various  kinds  of  violets,  and 


THE    ARGYNNIS    BUTTERFLIES.  285 

on  these  plants  we  may  expect  to  find  the  caterpillars  of  our 
native  species,  which  as  yet  are  mostly  unknown,  in  the 
months  of  May,  June,  and  July. 

Argynnis  Idalia,  Drury.     Idalia  Butterfly.     (Fig-  110.) 

Fore  wings  deep  tawny  orange,  spotted  with  black,  and 
with  a  broad  black  hind  border,  around  which,  in  the  fe- 
males, is  a  row  of  white  spots ;  hind  wings  blue-black  above, 

Fig.  110. 


with  two  rows  of  spots  behind,  both  of  which  in  the  female 
are  cream-colored,  but  in  the  males  the  spots  of  the  outer 
row  are  deep  tawny  orange  ;  all  the  wings  on  the  under 
side  have  a  row  of  pearly-white  crescents  within  the  black 
border  ;  and  on  the  hind  wings,  which  are  brown,  are  seven- 
teen more  pearly-white  spots ;  the  fringes  of  all  the  wings 
are  spotted  with  white. 

Expands  from  3£  to  3^  inches  or  more. 

This  large  and  fine  butterfly  is  found  in  meadows  in  the 
latter  part  of  July  and  beginning  of  August. 

Argynnis  Aphrodite,  Fabricius.     Aphrodite  Butterfly.     (Fig.  111.) 

Wings  tawny-yellow  in  the  males,  ochre-yellow  in  the 
females,  in  both  brownish  next  to  the  body,  with  a  black  line 
near  the  hinder  margins,  within  which  is  a  row  of  black 
crescents,  and  within  the  latter  is  a  row  of  round  black 


LEPIDOPTERA. 


spots ;  the  rest  of  the  surface  is  more  or  less  covered  with 
large  irregular  black  spots ;  beneath  the  tips  of  the  fore 
wings  are  seven  or  eight  silvery  spots,  and  on  the  under 


Fig.  111. 


112. 


side  of  the  hind  wings  are  above  twenty  large  silvery-white 
spots,  six  of  which  are  near  the  base,  and  the  rest  are 
arranged  in  three  curved  rows. 

Expands  from  2J  to  3£  inches. 

Very  common  on  flowers  in  low  grounds  in  the  latter  part 
of  July  and  the  beginning  of  August. 

Afgynnis  Myrina,  Cramer.     Myrina  Butterfly.     (Fig.  112.) 

Wings  tawny,  bordered  with  black  above,  with  a  row  of 

black  crescents  adjoining  the 
border,  and  another  of  round 
black  spots  at  a  distance  from 
it  ;  the  remainder  of  the  sur- 
face from  the  base  to  the  mid- 
dle with  irregular  black  spots  ; 
under  side  of  the  hind  wings 
variegated  with  brown,  with  a  few  ochre-yellow  spaces  inter- 
posed, and  above  twenty  silvery-white  spots  arranged  in  four 
rows  ;  between  the  two  outer  rows  is  a  series  of  black  dots, 
and  between  the  two  inner  rows  a  single  black  dot  encir- 
i-lrd  with  silvery  white. 


Expands  from 


to  l/tf  inch. 


THE    MELIT^A     BUTTERFLIES.  287 

The  wings  and  the  feelers  of  this  and  the  following  species 
are  proportionally  more  elongated  than  in  the  Idalia  and 
Aphrodite  butterflies.  The  Myrina  begins  to  appear  about 
the  last  of  May,  and  may  be  found  till  the  end  of  June;  it 
reappears  again  in  August  and  September. 

Argynnis  Bellona,  Fabricius.    Bellona  Butterfly.    (Figs.  113, 114.) 

Wings  tawny  above,  with  two  rows  of  black  spots  around 
the  hind  margins,  at  a  distance  from  which  is  a  row  of  round 
spots  of  the  same  color ;  from  the  base  to  beyond  the  middle 

Fig.  113.  Fig.  114. 


the  wings  are  covered  with  blackish  spots,  running  together 
more  or  less,  as  in  the  preceding  species ;  tips  of  the  fore 
wings  beneath,  and  under  side  of  the  hind  wings,  brownish, 
and  glossed  with  purplish  white  on  the  posterior  half  of  the 
latter,  which  are  variegated  with  dark  brown  lines  and  spots. 

Expands  from  If-  to  ly9^  inch. 

Very  closely  resembles  the  Myrina  in  form  and  color  of 
the  upper  surface  of  the  wings,  but  is  easily  distinguished 
from  it  by  the  want  of  the  silvery  spots  beneath.  It  is  found 
on  flowers  in  the  latter  part  of  July. 

The  butterflies  of  the  genus  Melitcea  agree  in  most  re- 
spects with  those  of  Argynnis,  except  that  the  under  side  of 
the  hind  wings  is  usually  checkered  with  various  colors,  but 
not  ornamented  with  silvery  or  pearly  spots.  Their  cater- 
pillars are  very  different,  being  covered  with  blunt  tubercles 
beset  with  very  short  stiff"  bristles,  and  most  of  them  live  on 
various  kinds  of  plantain.  The  chrysalids  are  of  the  same 


JSS  LEPIDOPTERA. 

form  as  those  of  Argynnis,  and  spotted  with  black  or  brown, 
but  are  not  ornamented  with  golden  spots. 

Afelitcea  Phaeton,  Drury.     Phaeton  Butterfly.     (Fig.  115.) 

Wings  black,  with  a  row  of  orange-red  crescents  around 
Fig  n6  the     hind    margin, 

within  which  are 
from  two  to  four 
rows  of  cream-col- 
ored spots  ;  on  the 
fore  wings,  behind 
the  middle  of  the 
front  margin,  are 
two  orange-red  spots,  and  sometimes  another  of  the  same 
color  on  the  middle  of  the  hind  wings.  All  the  wings  are 
black  beneath,  and  spotted  in  the  same  way  as  on  the 
upper  side,  with  the  addition  of  several  large  orange-red  and 
pale  yellow  spots  between  the  middle  and  the  base  ;  the 
alxlomen  has  three  rows  of  cream-colored  dots  on  the  top. 
Expands  from  2  to  2J  inches  or  more. 
This  species  is  rare  in  Massachusetts  ;  it  appears  in  low 
grounds  in  June.  The  wings  are  elongated,  as  in  Argynnu 
Myrina,  but  the  feelers  are  short.. 

Meliteea  Ismeria  ?  Boisduval.     Ismeria  Butterfly. 

Wings  tawny  above,  blotched  with  blackish  narrow  spots 
at  the  base,  the  fore  wings  blackish  on  the  hind  margins  and 
tips ;  the  hind  wings  veined  and  edged  with  black,  with  a 
row  of  black  crescents  near  the  hind  border,  next  to  which 
is  a  row  of  round  black  dots  ;  body  covered  with  white  down 
beneath  ;  under  side  of  the  wings  ochre-yellow,  with  a  row 
of  pale  yellow  crescents  edged  with  black  near  the  hind 
margin  ;  the  rest  of  the  surface  of  the  fore  wings  variegated 
with  small  black  and  large  yellowish  spots ;  next  to  the 
external  row  of  crescents  of  the  hind  wings  is  a  row  of 
yellowish  dots  encircled  with  black,  across  the  middle  a 


THE    PHAROS    BUTTERFLY.  289 

broad  pale  yellow  band  traversed  and  edged  with  wavy 
black  lines,  which  with  the  black  veins  divide.it  into  a  series 
of  checkers ;  on  the  shoulders  of  these  wings  a  long  pale 
yellow  spot  surrounded  with  black,  behind  which  are  three 
square  ones  of  the  same  colors,  contiguous  by  their  sides, 
and  behind  these  two  more  joining  each  other  by  their 
angles. 

Expands  If  inch. 

I  think  it  possible  that  this  species  may  be  distinct  from 
the  Ismeria,  which  is  known  to  me  only  by  Dr.  Boisduval's 
figure.*  The  wings  are  short  and  broad,  and  the  feelers 
longer  and  more  slender  at  their  tips  than  in  the  Phaeton. 
In  the  markings  of  the  under  side  of  its  hind  wings  it  ap- 
proaches to  the  Maturna,  Cynthia,  and  Ossianus  of  Europe. 
The  only  specimen  which  I  have  seen  was  sent  to  me  by 
Dr.  D.  S.  C.  H.  Smith  of  Sutton. 

Melitcea   Pharos,    Druiy.     Pharos    Butterfly.     (Fig.    116,   male. 
Fig.  117,  female.) 

Wings  short  and  broad,  tawny-orange  above,  with  a  broad 
black  hind  border,  on  which  is  a  row  of  narrow  tawny  cres- 
cents, and  before  these  a  row  of  round  black  spots,  much 

Fig.  116.  Fig.  117. 


more  distinct  on  the  hind  than  on  the  fore  wings ;  the  rest 
of  the  wings,  from  the  middle  to  the  base,  is  marked  with 
narrow  black  spots,  running  together  like  network ;  and 
on  the  fore  wings  is  a  large  black  spot,  extending  nearly 
half  across  the  wing;  the  under  side  of  the  fore  wings  is 
tawny,  variegated  with  black  and  brown,  with  a  buff-colored 

*  Hist,  des  L(5pidopt.  de  TAm^rique  Septent.,  pi.  46. 
37 


290  LEPIDOPTERA. 

spot  at  tip,  and  a  crescent-shaped  one  of  the  same  color 
on  the  middle  of  the  hind  margin ;  under  side  of  the  hind 
wings  pale  ochre-yellow  or  buff,  variegated  with  brown  lines 
and  spots,  with  a  very  large  brown  spot  on  the  hinder  mar- 
gin, on  the  middle  of  which  is  a  whitish  crescent,  and  be- 
fore this  a  row  of  blackish  dots. 

Expands  from  lT3<y  to  1|  inch. 

The  chrysalis  is  about  half  an  inch  long,  brown  and  sprin- 
kled with  white  dots  before,  and  reddish  brown  with  black 
dots  behind,  and  three  rows  of  minute  points  on  the  back ; 
the  anterior  extremity  is  square  and  the  top  of  the  thorax 
arched,  with  three  little  points  disposed  in  a  triangle.  The 
butterfly  comes  out  about  the  first  of  June.  This  little  and 
very  common  butterfly  varies  considerably  in  the  depth  and 
quantity  of  its  dark  markings.  It  is  found  on  flowers  in 
June,  July,  and  August. 

The  genus  Cynthia  was  proposed  by  Fabricius  to  contain 
certain  butterflies  which  some  entomologists  now  place  in 
Vanessa.  Taken,  however,  in  a  more  limited  sense  than 
was  originally  intended,  it  may  be  retained  for  some  of  the 
species  which  differ  from  the  others  in  the  form  and  coloring 
of  the  wings,  in  the  habits  of  the  caterpillars,  and  in  the 
shape  of  the  chrysalids.  As  thus  restricted,  the  genus 
Cynthia  is  distinguished  by  the  wings  of  the  butterflies 
included  in  it  being  more  or  less  scalloped  on  the  edges,  but 
not  indented  or  tailed,  and  not  marked  with  metallic  charac- 
ters beneath;  their  feelers  are  much  longer  than  the  head, 
are  tapering,  curve  upwards  and  are  contiguous  to  their 
extremity,  giving  the  head  of  the  insect,  when  viewed  side- 
ways, somewhat  the  form  of  the  bows  6f  a  ship.  The 
caterpillars  are  armed  with  branched  spines,  about  equal  in 
length  on  all  the  segments  except  the  first  and  last,  on 
which  they  are  often  wanting,  and  the  head  is  heart-shaped, 
with  little  elevated  points  or  short  spines  on  the  top.  They 
are  solitary,  and  conceal  themselves  under  a  web,  or  within  a 


THE    THISTLE    BUTTERFLY.  291 

folded  leaf,  and  suspend  themselves  by  the  hind  feet  alone 
when  about  to  transform.  The  chrysalids  are  angular  on 
the  sides,  with  two  or  three  rows  of  sharp  tubercles  on  the 
back,  the  anterior  extremity  is  nearly  square,  or  hardly 
notched,  and  there  is  a  short  and  thick  prominence  on  the 
top  of  the  thorax.  The  tubercles,  and  oftentimes  the  greater 
part  of  the  surface  of  the  chrysalis,  have  the  color  and  lustre 
of  burnished  gold ;  from  which  originated  the  name  chrysa- 
lis, derived  from  the  Greek  name  for  gold,  now,  however, 
applied  to  other  insects  in  their  second  stage  of  transforma- 
tion, which  are  not  golden-colored. 

Cynthia  Cardui.     Thistle  Butterfly.     (Fig.  118.) 

Wings   tawny   above,   with   a  tinge  of  rose-red,  spotted 
with  black  and  white ;  hind  wings  marbled  beneath,  with  a 

Fig.  118. 


triangular  white  spot  in  the  middle,  and  a  row  of  five  eye- 
like  spots  near  the  hind  margin. 

Expands  2£  to  2£  inches  or  more. 

The  caterpillars  of  this  butterfly  are  found  on  thistles, 
particularly  the  spear-thistle  (  Cnieus  lanceolatus)  and  cotton- 
thistle  ( Onopordon  acanthium),  on  the  leaves  of  the  sun- 
flower, hollyhock,  burdock,  and  other  rough-leaved  plants,  in 
June  and  July.  Though  there  may  be  several  on  the  same 
plant,  they  keep  at  some  distance  from  each  other.  Each 
one  spins  for  itself  a  thin  web  on  the  surface  of  the  leaf, 
usually  near  the  edge,  to  which  it  is  also  fastened,  so  as  to 


292  LEPIDOPTERA. 

draw  over  a  part  of  the  leaf,  and  thus  form  a  little  tent 
beneath  which  the  caterpillar  lives.  It  devours  the  skin  and 
pulpy  substance  of  the  leaf,  without  touching  the  under 
skin ;  and  when  it  has  exhausted  the  part  under  its  tent,  it 
removes  to  another  place,  and  makes  a  larger  habitation  as 
before.  Very  young  caterpillars,  which  are  distinguished  by 
their  darker  color  as  well  as  their  inferior  size  from  the 
older  ones,  cover  themselves  with  a  very  small  portion  of  the 
leaf,  and  are  principally  protected  by  means  of  the  silken 
tent.  The  full-grown  caterpillar  is  about  one  inch  and  a 
half  long.  Its  head  is  black,  its  feet  reddish,  its  body  striped 
with  black  and  yellow  interrupted  lines,  with  about  seven 
branched  spines,  of  a  white  color  tipped  with  black,  on  each 
segment  except  the  first,  those  on  the  fore  part  of  the  body 
being  more  obscure  than  the  rest.  These  caterpillars  fre- 
quently suspend  themselves  to  the  plants  on  which  they  live, 
and  they  seldom  wander  far  in  search  of  a  place  wherein  to 
prepare  for  transformation.  The  chrysalis  varies  in  color, 
being  most  often  brown,  with  golden  or  brassy  spots  on  the 
sides  and  back,  sometimes  entirely  golden,  and  sometimes 
white  with  a  silvery  lustre.  The  chrysalis  state  lasts  from 
eleven  to  fourteen  days.  The  butterflies  appear  from  the 
middle  to  the  end  of  July,  and  are  found  on  the  flowers  of 
thistles  and  other  plants.  I  have  also  found  them  early  in 
May,  and  as  late  as  the  month  of  August. 

Cynthia  ffuntera,  Fab.     Hunter's  Butterfly.     (Fig.  119.) 

Wings  tawny  above,  variegated  and  spotted  with  black  and 
white ;  hind  wings  marbled  and  streaked  beneath,  with  two 
luge  eye-like  spots  near  the  hind  margin. 

Expands  from  2±  to  2£  inches. 

The  caterpillars  are  found  on  the  same  plants  as  those  of 
the  thistle  butterfly,  and  particularly  on  the  burdock  and 
cotton-thistle  in  June  and  July.  Mr.  Abbot  says  that  they 
live  on  a  species  of  everlasting  (Gnaphalium  polycephalum) 
also.  They,  as  well  as  the  chrysalids,  are  very  much  like 


THE    LAVINIA    BUTTEEFLY.  293 

those  of  the  preceding  species.     The  butterflies  appear  in 
August  and  September. 


Fig.  119 


Cynthia  Lavinia,*  Fab.     Lavinia  Butterfly. 

Wings  dark  brown  above,  each  with  a  large  and  a  small 
eye-like  spot  on  both  sides ;  the  fore  wings  with  two  orange- 
red  spots  near  the  middle  of  the  front  margin,  and  a  large 
whitish  band  enclosing  the  hinder  eye-like  spots ;  hind  wings 
with  a  reddish  band  near  the  hind  margin. 

Expands  from  2  to  2|  inches. 

The  caterpillar  is  said  to  be  blackish  and  dotted  with 
white,  with  the  belly  and  legs  tawny,  and  two  white  lines  on 
each  side,  the  uppermost  one  of  which  is  spotted  with  tawny 
orange ;  the  spines  (of  which  there  are  two  short  ones  on  the 
head,  besides  those  on  the  body)  are  black  and  branched. 
According  to  Mr.  Abbot,  it  lives  on  the  Canada  snap-dragon 
(Antirrhinum  Canadense),  and  remains  in  the  chrysalis  state 
sixteen  days.  The  chrysalis  resembles  in  form  that  of  the 
two  preceding  species,  but  is  said  to  be  destitute  of  metal- 
lic spots.  I  took  one  of  these  butterflies  in  a  meadow  in 
Milton,  on  the  19th  of  August,  1827,  and  have  never  met 
with  it  since  in  this  State.  It  is  very  common  in  the  South- 
ern States  throughout  the  whole  of  the  summer. 

*  Dr.  Boisduval  has  described  this  insect  under  the  specific  name  of  Gznia. 


294      .  LEPIDOPTERA. 

Cynthia  Atalanta,  L.     Atalanta  Butterfly.     (Fig.  120.) 

Wings  black  above,  spotted  with  white  near  the  tips  of 
the  first  pair,  on  which  is  also  an  orange-red  band  across 
the  middle;  hind  wings  with  a  marginal  orange-red  band, 

Fig.  120. 


on  which  is  a  row  of  black  dots,  the  two  nearest  to  the  hind 
angle  having  a  pale  blue  centre. 

Expands  from  2J  to  3  inches. 

The  Atalanta  butterfly  was  probably  introduced  into 
America  from  Europe  with  the  common  nettle,  which  it  in- 
habits. It  deposits  its  eggs  in  May  upon  the  youngest  and 
smallest  leaves  of  this  plant,  being  cautious  to  drop  only 
one  upon  a  single  leaf.  The  young  caterpillar  is  guarded 
against  injury  from  the  poisonous  prickles  of  the  leaf  by  the 
numerous  branching  spines  with  which  it  is  covered,  and 
which,  being  longer  than  the  prickles,  prevent  its  body 
from  coming  in  contact  with  the  latter.  The  head  is  cov- 
ered with  a  tough  shell,  which  sufficiently  protects  this  part, 
while  its  strong  and  horny  jaws  are  adapted  for  cutting 
and  chewing  the  leaves  and  their  prickles  with  impunity. 
As  soon  as  the  caterpillar  is  hatched,  it  spins  a  little  web 
to  cover  itself,  securing  the  threads  all  around  to  the  edges 
of  the  leaf,  so  as  to  bend  upwards  the  sides  and  form  a 
kind  of  trough,  in  which  it  remains  concealed.  One  end 
of  the  cavity  is  open,  and  through  this  the  caterpillar  thrusts 


THE  ATALANTA  BUTTERFLY.         295 

its  head  while  eating.  It  begins  with  the  extremity  of 
the  folded  leaf,  and  eats  downwards,  and,  as  it  gradually 
consumes  its  habitation,  it  retreats  backwards,  till  at  last, 
having,  as  it  were,  eaten  itself  out  of  house  and  home, 
it  is  forced  to  abandon  its  imperfect  shelter,  and  con- 
struct a  new  one.  This  is  better  than  the  first ;  for  the 
insect  has  become  larger  and  stronger,  and  withal  more 
skilful  from  experience.  The  sides  of  the  larger  leaf  selected 
for  its  new  habitation  are  drawn  together  by  silken  threads, 
so  that  the  edges  of  the  leaf  meet  closely  and  form  a  light 
and  commodious  cavity,  which  securely  shelters  and  com- 
pletely conceals  the  included  caterpillar.  This  in  time  is 
eaten  like  the  first,  and  another  is  formed  in  like  manner. 
At  length  the  caterpillar,  having  eaten  up  and  constructed 
several  dwellings  in  succession,  and  changed  its  skin  three  or 
four  times,  comes  to  its  full  size,  leaves  off  eating,  and  seeks 
a  suitable  place  in  which  to  undergo  its  transformations. 
The  young  caterpillars  are  almost  black ;  the  full-grown  ones 
measure  about  one  inch  and  a  half,  are  generally  of  a  brown 
color  more  or  less  dotted  with  white,  with  a  black  head, 
rough  with  elevated  white  points,  with  white  branching 
spines  on  the  back,  and  on  each  side  there  is  a  row  of 
yellow  crescents.  The  chrysalis  is  gray,  with  a  whitish  bloom 
upon  it  like  that  on  a  plum,  and  the  little  pointed  tubercles 
on  its  back  are  gold-colored.  The  chrysalis  state  continues 
about  ten  days,  or  longer  if  the  weather  be  cool  and  wet. 
The  butterflies  from  the  first  brood  appear  in  July,  and  from 
the  second  in  September. 

In  the  butterflies  belonging  to  the  genus  Vanessa,  the 
wings  are  jagged  or  tailed  on  the  hind  edges.  The  under 
side  of  the  hind  wings,  in  many,  is  marked  with  a  golden  or 
silvery  character  in  the  middle ;  the  feelers  are  long,  curv- 
ing, and  contiguous,  and  form  a  kind  of  projecting  beak. 
The  head  of  the  chrysalis  is  deeply  notched  or  furnished 
with  two  ear-like  prominences ;  the  sides  are  very  angular ; 
on  the  middle  of  the  thorax  there  is  a  thin  projection,  in 


296  LEPIDOPTERA. 

profile  somewhat  like  a  Roman  nose ;  and  on  the  back  are 
two  rows  of  very  sharp  tubercles  of  a  golden  color.  The 
caterpillars  are  cylindrical,  and  armed  with  branching  spines  ; 
they  live  in  company,  at  least  during  the  early  period  of  their 
existence,  and  do  not  conceal  themselves  under  a  web  or 
within  a  folded  leaf. 

Vanessa  Antiopa,  L.     Antiopa  Butterfly.8     (Fig.  121.) 

Wings  purplish  brown  above,  with  a  broad  buff-yellow 
margin,  near  the  inner  edge  of  which  there  is  a  row  of  pale 
blue  spots. 

Expands  from  3  to  3£  inches. 

This  butterfly  passes  the  winter  in  some  sheltered  place 
in  a  partially  torpid  state.  I  have  found  it  in  mid-winter 

Kg.  121. 


sticking  to  the  rafters  of  a  barn,  and  in  the  crevices  of  walls 
and  stone-heaps,  huddled  together  in  great  numbers,  with 
the  wings  doubled  together  above  the  back,  and  apparently 
benumbed  and  lifeless;  but  it  soon  recovers  its  activity  on 
being  exposed  to  warmth.  It  comes  out  of  its  winter  quar- 

[  •  This  is  one  of  the  few  butterflies  common  to  this  country  and  Europe,  and 
has  probably  been  introduced  here.  —  MORRIS.] 


THE    ANTIOPA    BUTTERFLY.  297 

ters  very  early  in  spring,  often  before  the  snow  has  entirely 
left  the  ground,  but  with  ragged  and  faded  wings  ;  and  may 
be  seen  sporting  in  warm  and  sheltered  spots  in  the  begin- 
ning of  March,  and  through  the  months  of  April  and  May. 
Wilson,  in  his  beautiful  lines  on  the  blue-bird,  alludes  to  its 
early  coming  in  the  spring, 

"  When  first  the  lone  butterfly  flits  on  the  wing." 

The  caterpillars  (Fig.  122)  of  the  Antiopa  butterfly  live 
together    in    great   numbers   on  Fig  122 

the  poplar,  willow,  and  elm,  on 
which  the  first  broods  may  be 
found  early  in  June.  They  are 
black,  minutely  dotted  with  white, 
with  a  row  of  eight  dark  brick-red  spots  on  the  top  of  the 
back.  The  head  is  black  and  rough  with  projecting  points  ; 
the  spines,  of  which  there  are  six  or  seven  on  each  segment 
except  the  first,  are  black,  stiff,  and  branched,  and  the  inter- 
mediate legs  are  reddish.  When  fully  grown  they  measure 
an  inch  and  three  quarters  in  length,  and  appear  very  for- 
midable with  their  thorny  armature,  which  is  doubtless  in- 
tended to  defend  them  from  their  enemies.  It  was  formerly 
supposed  that  they  were  venomous,  and  capable  of  inflicting 
dangerous  wounds  ;  and  within  my  remembrance  many  per- 
sons were  so  much  alarmed  on  this  account  as  to  cut  down 
all  the  poplar-trees  around  their  dwellings.  This  alarm  was 
unfounded  ;  for,  although  there  are  some  caterpillars  that 
have  the  power  of  inflicting  venomous  wounds  with  their 
spines  and  hairs,  this  is  not  the  case  with  those  of  the  An- 
tiopa butterfly.  The  only  injury  which  can  be  laid  to  their 
charge  is  that  of  despoiling  of  their  foliage  some  of  our 
most  ornamental  trees,  and  this  is  enough  to  induce  us  to 
take  all  proper  measures  for  exterminating  the  insects,  short 
of  destroying  the  trees  that  they  infest.  I  have  sometimes 
seen  them  in  such  profusion  on  the  willow  and  elm,  that  the 
limbs  bent  under  their  weight,  and  the  long  leafless  branches, 

38 


298  LEPIDOPTERA. 

which  they  had  stripped  and  deserted,  gave  sufficient  proof 
of  the  voracity  of  these  caterpillars.      The  chrysalis   (Fig. 
123)  is  of  a   dark  brown   color,   with   large   tawny   spots 
.  128.      around  the  pointed  tubercles  on  the  back.     The 
butterflies  come  forth  in  eleven  or  twelve  days 
after  the  insects  have  entered  upon  the  chrysalis 
state,  and  this  occurs  in  the  beginning  of  July. 
A   second   brood   of  caterpillars    is   produced   in 
August,  and  they  pass  through  all  their  changes 
H^&r     before  winter. 

Vfe ',  . 
V 

Vanessa  J  Album.     The  White  J  Butterfly. 

Wings  pale  tawny  red  above,  each  with  a  white  spot  be- 
tween two  black  ones  near  the  outer  angle  on  the  front 
margin ;  the  fore  wings  with  a  larger  black  spot  on  the  mid- 
dle of  the  front  edge,  and  five  smaller  roundish  black  spots 
near  the  middle  of  the  wings  ;  hind  wings  with  a  silvery- 
white  character  somewhat  in  the  shape  of  the  letter  J  in  the 
middle  of  the  under  side. 

Expands  from  2£  to  3  inches. 

The  caterpillar  and  chrysalis  of  this  butterfly  are  un- 
known to  me.  The  butterfly  probably  survives  the  winter 
like  the  Antiopa,  for  it  has  been  observed  late  in  the  autumn, 
and  again  early  in  the  ensuing  spring,  sometimes  in  great 
numbers ;  but  it  is  very  inconstant  in  its  appearance.  It  is 
more  common  in  New  Hampshire  than  in  Massachusetts. 

Vanessa  Interrogationis,  F.     Semicolon  Butterfly.9     (Fig.  124.) 

Wings  on  the  upper  side  tawny  orange,  with  brown  spots 
running  together  on  the  hinder  part,  and  with  black  spots  in 
the  middle ;  hind  wings  in  the  male  most  often  black  above, 
except  at  the  base,  and  sometimes  of  this  color  in  the  other 
sex  also  ;  the  edges  and  the  tails  glossed  with  reddish  white  ; 
under  side  of  the  wings  in  some  rust-red,  in  others  marbled 
with  light  and  dark  brown,  glossed  with  reddish  white,  and 

f  °  Vanetta  Interrogationis  belongs  to  the  genus  Grapta,  Kirby.  —  Momus.] 


THE  SEMICOLON  BUTTERFLY.         299 

with  a  pale  gold-colored  semicolon  on  the  middle  of  the 
hinder  pair. 

Expands  from  2|  to  2f  inches,  or  more. 

The  paly-gold  character  beneath  the  hind  wings  has  much 
more  nearly  the  shape  of  a  semicolon  than  of  a  note  of 
interrogation ;  *  for  which  reason  I  have  called  this  the  semi- 
colon butterfly,  instead  of  translating  the  specific  name.  It 
first  appears  in  May,  and  again  in  August  and  September, 
and  is  frequently  seen  on  the  wing,  in  warm  and  sunny 
places,  till  the  middle  of  October.  The  caterpillars  live  on 
the  American  elm  and  lime  trees,  and  also  on  the  hop-vine, 

Fig.  124. 


and  on  the  latter  they  sometimes  abound  to  such  a  degree  as 
totally  to  destroy  the  produce  of  the  plant.  In  the  latter 
part  of  August  the  hop-vine  caterpillars  come  to  their  full 
growth,  and  suspend  themselves  beneath  the  leaves  and 
stems  of  the  plant,  and  change  to  chrysalids.  This  fact 
affords  a  favorable  opportunity  for  destroying  the  insects  in 
this  their  stationary  and  helpless  stage,  at  some  loss,  however, 
of  the  produce  of  the  vines,  which,  when  the  insects  have 
become  chrysalids,  should  be  cut  down,  stripped  of  the  fruit 
that  is  sufficiently  ripened,  and  then  burnt.  There  is  prob- 

[  *  This  butterfly  received  its  name  from  the  Greek  note  of  interrogation,  which 
is  identical  with  our  semicolon.  —  Ei>.] 


300  LEPIDOPTERA. 

ably  an  early  brood  of  caterpillars  in  June  or  July,  but  I 
have  not  seen  any  on  the  hop-vine  before  August ;  the  former 
are  therefore  confined  to  the  elm  and  other  plants,  in  all 
probability.  The  caterpillar  is  brownish,  variegated  with  pale 
yellow,  or  pale  yellow  variegated  with  brown,  with  a  yel- 
lowish line  on  each  side  of  the  body ;  the  head  is  rust-red, 
with  two  blackish  branched  spines  on  the  top ;  and  the  spines 
of  the  body  are  pale  yellow  or  brownish  and  tipped  with 
black.  The  chrysalis  is  ashen  brown,  with  the  head  deeply 
notched,  and  surmounted  by  two  conical  ears,  a  long  and  thin 
nose-like  prominence  on  the  thorax,  and  eight  silvery  spots 
on  the  back.  The  chrysalis  state  usually  lasts  from  eleven  to 
fourteen  days ;  but  the  later  broods  are  more  tardy  in  their 
transformations,  the  butterfly  sometimes  not  appearing  in 
less  than  twenty-six  days  after  the  change  to  the  chrysalis. 
Great  numbers  of  the  chrysalids  are  annually  destroyed  by 
little  maggots  within  them,  which,  in  due  time,  are  trans- 
formed to  tiny  four- winged  flies  {Pteromalus  Vanessce), 
which  make  their  escape  by  eating  little  holes  through  the 
sides  of  the  chrysalis.  They  are  ever  on  the  watch  to  lay 
their  eggs  on  the  caterpillars  of  this  butterfly,  and  are  so 
small  as  easily  to  avoid  being  wounded  by  the  branching 
spines  of  their  victims. 

Vanessa  Comma.     Comma  Butterfly.10     (Plate  IV.  Fig.  1.) 

Upper  side  tawny  orange ;  fore  wings  bordered  behind 
and  spotted  with  black ;  hind  wings  shaded  behind  with  dark 
brown,  with  two  black  spots  on  the  middle,  and  three  more 
in  a  transverse  line  from  the  front  edge,  and  a  row  of  bright 
orange-colored  spots  before  the  hind  margin ;  hind  edges  of 
the  wings  powdered  with  reddish  white ;  under  side  marbled 
with  light  and  dark  brown,  the  hinder  wings  with  a  silvery 
comma  in  the  middle. 

Expands  from  2^  to  2|  inches. 

This   butterfly  very  closely  resembles   the  white    C   (<7 

{  w  T.  Comma  belongs  to  the  genus  Grapta,  Kirby.  —  MORRIS.] 


THE    PROGNE    BUTTERFLY.  301 

album)  of  Europe,  for  which  it  has  probably  been  mistaken. 
On  a  close  and  careful  comparison  of  several  specimens  of 
both  together,  I  am  satisfied  that  the  American  Comma  is  a 
distinct  species,  and  the  hinder  edges  of  the  wings,  which  are 
not  so  deeply  indented,  will  at  once  serve  to  distinguish  it.  I 
have  therefore  now  named  and  described  it  for  the  first  time. 
The  caterpillar  lives  upon  the  hop,  and,  as  nearly  as  I  can 
recollect,  has  a  general  resemblance  to  that  of  the  semicolon 
butterfly.  The  chrysalis  (Plate  IV.  Fig.  2,  chrysalis  from 
which  the  butterfly  has  escaped)  is  brownish  gray,  or  white 
variegated  with  pale  brown,  and  ornamented  with  golden 
spots;  there  are  two  conical  ear-like  projections  on  the  top 
of  the  head,  and  the  prominence  on  the  thorax  is  shorter  and 
thicker  than  that  of  the  semicolon  butterfly,  and  more  like  a 
parrot's  beak  in  shape.  The  butterflies  appear  first  in  the 
beginning  of  May ;  I  have  obtained  them  from  the  chrysa- 
lids  in  the  middle  of  July,  and  on  the  first  of  September. 

Vanessa  Progne,*  Fab.     Progne  Butterfly. 

Upper  side  tawny  orange ;  fore  wings  bordered  and  spot- 
ted with  black ;  hind  wings  blackish  on  the  posterior  half, 
with  two  black  spots  before  the  middle,  and  a  row  of  small 
orange-colored  spots  before  the  hind  margin ;  tails  and  pos- 
terior edges  of  the  wings  powdered  with  reddish  white; 
under  side  gray,  with  fine  blackish  streaks,  and  an  angular 
silvery  character  somewhat  in  the  form  of  the  letter  L  on 
the  middle  of  the  hind  wings. 

Expands  from  1£  to  2|  inches. 

This  butterfly  appears  in  August,  and  probably  also  at 
other  times.  Though  very  much  like  the  preceding  in 
general  appearance,  it  is  readily  distinguished  from  it  by  the 
darker  color  of  the  hind  wings  and  the  angular  shape  of  the 
silvery  character  on  their  under  side.  This  character  is  very 

*  Mr.  Kirby,  whose  work  on  the  insects  of  North  America  abounds  in  mistakes, 
has  redescribed  this  old  and  well-known  species  under  the  name  of  Vanessa  C. 
argenteum. 


302  LEPIDOPTERA. 

slender,  and  is  sometimes  entirely  wanting.  I  have  raised 
the  Progne  and  Comma  butterflies  from  caterpillars  which 
were  so  much  alike,  that  I  am  not  certain  to  which  of  them 
the  following  description  belongs.  These  caterpillars  were 
found  on  the  American  elm  in  August;  they  were  pale 
yellow,  with  a  reddish-colored  head,  white  branching  spines 
tipped  with  black,  and  a  row  of  four  rusty  spots  on  each  side 
of  the  body.  They  were  suspended  on  the  21st  and  22d 
of  August,  changed  to  chrysalids  within  twenty-four  hours, 
and  were  transformed  to  butterflies  sixteen  days  afterwards. 
At  another  time,  a  Progne  butterfly  was  obtained  from  a 
caterpillar,  which  I  neglected  to  describe,  on  the  18th  of 
August,  the  chrysalis  state  having  continued  only  eleven 
days.  The  chrysalis  is  brownish  gray,  with  silvery  spots  on 
the  back,  a  short,  thick,  and  rounded  nose-like  prominence 
on  the  thorax,  and  two  conical  double-pointed  horns  or 
ears  on  the  head,  the  outer  points  very  short,  and  the  inner 
ones  longer  and  curving  inwards. 

Vanessa  Mlberti*  Godart,     Milbert's  Butterfly.     (Fig.  125.) 

Black   above,   with   a  broad   orange-red   band   near   the 
Fj    ]25  hinder  margin  of  all  the 

wings,  behind  which  on 
the  hind  wings  is  a  row 
of  pale  blue  crescents ; 
fore  wings  with  a  small 
white  spot  near  the  tips, 
and  two  orange-red  spots 
near  the  middle  of  the 
front  edge  ;  under  side 
deep  brown,  with  a  pale  band  near  the  extremity  of  the 
wings,  and  no  metallic  characters  on  the  hinder  pair. 
Expands  from  2|  to  2g  inches. 
This  showy  butterfly  is  rare  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  but 

*  This  is  the  Vanetsa  furcillata  of  Mr.  Say;  but  Godart's  name  has  the  priority 
in  point  of  time. 


THE    HIPPARCHIANS.  303 

abundant  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  State  and  in  New 
Hampshire.  It  appears  in  May,  and  again  in  July  and  Au- 
gust. The  caterpillars  live  together  on  the  common  nettle. 
They  vary  in  color,  some  being  much  darker  than  others ; 
generally,  however,  they  are  pale  brown,  minutely  dotted 
with  yellowish  white,  with  a  dark  brown  longitudinal  line  on 
the  top  of  the  back,  a  whitish  one  on  each  side  just  above 
the  feet,  and  above  this  a  row  of  brown  spots ;  the  head  is 
small,  black,  and  rough,  with  little  black  and  white  tuber- 
cles ;  the  spines  are  blackish,  short,  and  with  very  small 
branches  or  lateral  bristles.  It  measures  when  fully  grown 
an  inch  and  a  quarter  or  more  in  length,  the  chrysalis  is  pale 
brown  with  golden  spots,  the  top  of  the  head  widely  but  not 
deeply  notched,  and  the  nose-like  prominence  very  small. 

The  last  of  the  four-footed  butterflies  remaining  to  be  de- 
scribed may  be  called  Hipparchians  (Hipparchiadce).  The 
wings  of  the  butterflies  belonging  to  this  group  are  entire, 
with  the  veins  of  the  first  pair  swelled  at  their  origin,  and 
the  central  mesh  of  the  second  pair  closed  behind.  Their 
caterpillars  are  not  spiny,  and  are  of  a  green  color,  spindle- 
shaped,  or  cylindrical,  tapering  at  both  ends,  with  the  hinder 
extremity  notched  or  terminating  in  two  conical  points,  and 
the  head  is  either  rounded  or  notched  above.  They  live1 
exclusively  on  various  kinds  of  grasses,  for  the  most  part 
concealing  themselves  during  the  day  among  the  stubble, 
and  suspend  themselves  by  the  hindmost  feet  alone  when 
about  to  transform. 

The  chrysalis  is  either  oblong  and  somewhat  angular  at 
the  sides,  with  the  head  notched  and  two  rows  of  pointed 
tubercles  on  the  back,  or  short  and  rounded,  with  the  head 
obtuse ;  but  never  ornamented  with  metallic  spots.  The 
small  size  and  uniformly  green  color  of  the  caterpillars  of 
our  native  species,  and  the  obscurity  in  which  they  gener- 
ally live,  render  it  very  difficult  to  discover  them;  and 
hence  they  rarely  pass  under  our  observation.  This  being 


304  LEPIDOPTERA. 

the  case,  and  not  having  much  to  communicate  respecting 
the  habits  of  individual  species,  I  shall  confine  my  further 
remarks  to  a  description  of  the  insects  in  their  final  state, 
when  they  are  exposed  to  view,  and  attract  our  notice  by 
their  neat  and  modest  coloring,  and  their  graceful  and  gentle 
motions.  They  are  mostly  found  in  thickets  and  woods,  and 
more  rarely  in  places  more  open  and  exposed. 

Hipparchia  semidea,  Say.     The  Mountain  Butterfly.     (Fig.  126.) 

Wings   dusky  brown   above,    thin,  delicate,   and   almost 

transparent,  in    the  male 
Fig.  126.  paler,  and  with  more  of  an 

ochre-yellow  tint;  fringes 
black,  barred  with  ochre- 
yellow,  and  a  row  of  faint 
ochre-yellow    spots    near 
the   hind   margin    of  the 
second   pair  ;    the   under 
side  of  these  wings  and  of  the  tips  of  the  fore  wings  is  mar- 
bled with  black  and  white,  a  portion  of  the  white  forming 
an  irregular  band  beyond  the  middle  of  the  hind  wings. 
Expands  !•&•  inch  to  2  inches. 

This  butterfly  has  hitherto  been  taken  only  on  the  summit 
of  the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hampshire  in  June  and 
July.  It  was  observed  in  great  abundance  flying  about  on 
the  top  of  Mount  Washington  on  the  29th  of  July  last.  It 
has  also  been  seen  on  the  Monadnoc  Mountain,  and  will 
probably  be  discovered  on  the  tops  of  the  high  mountains  in 
our  own  State,  if  looked  for  at  the  proper  season.  It  closely 
resembles  the  Fortunatus  of  Lapland,  with  which  I  have 
compared  it,  and  find  it  to  be  specifically  distinct.  Mr.  Say 
was  the  first  describer  of  it,  and  it  is  well  figured  in  his 
American  Entomology.  Dr.  Boisduval  has  since  re-described 
and  figured  it  under  the  name  of  Chionabas  Also.* 

*  Icones  LrfSpidopt  Nouv.,  I.  p.  197,  PI.  40,  fig.  1,  2,  and  Lepidopt.  Amer.,  I. 
p.  222. 


BOISDUVAL'S    BUTTERFLY.  305 

Hipparchia  Alope,  Fab.     Alope  Butterfly.     (Fig.  127.) 

Dark  brown  ;  fore  wings  with  a  broad  ochre-yellow  band 

beyond  the  middle,  enclosing  two  round  black  spots,  with  a 

sky-blue  centre  ;  hind  wings  notched  behind,  with  from  one 

to  three  eye-like  spots  of  a  black  color,  with  a  blue  centre 

on  the  upper  side,  and 

f  £         f  ^ 

four  or  five  of  the  same 

kind,  but  of  unequal 
size,  beneath  ;  the  under 
side  of  the  wings  is  pale 
brown,  with  numerous 
dark  brown  streaks.  The 
eye-spots  on  the  hind 
wings  are  sometimes 
wanting  in  the  males. 

Expands  from  2  to  2|  inches.  In  the  Southern  States 
individuals  are  found  measuring  three  inches. 

The  Alope  butterfly  is  found  from  the  first  of  July  to  the 
middle  of  September  in  open  woods  and  in  orchards.  The 
caterpillar  is  pale  green  with  dark  green  stripes  ;  the  head  is 
round,  and  the  tail  ends  in  a  short  fork.  The  chrysalis  is 
elongated,  roundish  at  the  sides,  with  the  head  notched. 

Hipparchia  Boisduvallii.     Boisduval's  Butterfly.     (Fig.  128.) 

Pale  yellowish-brown  ;  the  fore  wings  upon  both  sides 
have  four  eve-like,  blackish 

.  ,    J  '  Fig.  128. 

spots,  with  a  white  centre, 
and  the  hind  wings  have 
six,  the  external  spot  re- 
mote from  the  others,  and 
the  two  next  to  the  hind 
angle  very  small  and  close 
together.  In  some  indi- 
viduals the  white  centre  is 
wanting  in  some  of  the  eye-spots  on  the  upper  side  of  the 
wings. 

39 


806 


LEPIDOPTERA. 


Fig.  129. 


Expands  2  inches  or  more. 

This  butterfly  is  figured  in  Dr.  Boisduval's  Histoire  des 
Lcpidopteres  de  rAmtrique,  under  the  name  of  Satyrua 
Canthus  ;  but  as  it  does  not  agree  with  the  descriptions  of  the 
Canthm  of  Linnaaus  .and  of  Fabricius,  in  both  of  which  there 
are  no  eye-spots  on  the  upper  side  of  the  wings,  I  have 
thought  it  entitled  to  a  new  name,  and  am  happy  to  dedicate 
it  to  one  of  the  most  accomplished  entomologists  now  living. 
This  delicate  butterfly  delights  in  open  and  elevated  situa- 
tions, and  is  found  in  July  on  the  sides  of  the  highest  hills, 
and  in  the  mountain  meadows  of  the  northwestern  parts  of 
this  State. 

IHpparchia  Eurytris,  Fab.     Eurytris  Butterfly.     (Fig.  130.) 

Dark  brown  above,  paler  beneath,  with  two  longitudinal 

dusky  stripes  ;  on  the  upper 
side   of    the    wings    are    two 
black   eye-spots,    enclosed    in 
an    ochre-yellow    ring,    with 
two  lead-colored  dots  in  the 
centre  of  each  spot ;    on  the 
hind  wings   there   is   another 
smaller  spot,  with  a  lead-col- 
ored centre,  near  the  hinder  angle  ;  all  these  spots  are  found 
on  the  under  side^  of  the  wings,  and  between  them  are  in- 
terposed the  same  number  of  small  lead-colored  spots. 
Expands  1  inch  and  6  or  7  tenths. 

This  butterfly  is  found 
in  June  and  July  among 
bushes  and  in  the  paths 
of  woods,  seeking;  the 

*  O 

shade  rather  than  the 
sunshine.  The  caterpil- 
lar resembles  that  of  the 
Alope  butterfly,  but  the 

mpparchi«  Nepheie.  chrysalis  is  shorter,  with 

the  head  obtuse. 


Ffo.  130. 


THE    SKIPPERS.  307 

2.     SKIPPERS,     (ffesperiackz.) 

The  butterflies  of  this  tribe  frequent  grassy  places,  and 
low  bushes  and  thickets,  flying  but  a  short  distance  at  a  time, 
with  a  jerking  motion,  whence  they  are  called  skippers  by 
English  writers.  When  they  alight,  they  usually  keep  the 
hind  wings  extended  horizontally,  and  the  fore  wings  some- 
what raised,  but  spreading  a  little,  and  not  entirely  closed, 
as  in  other  butterflies ;  some  of  them,  however,  have  all  the 
wings  spread  open  when  at  rest,  and  there  are  others  in 
which  they  are  all  elevated.  Notwithstanding  this  difference 
in  the  position  of  the  wings,  the  Hesperians  all  have  certain 
characters  in  common,  by  which  they  are  readily  distin- 
guished from  other  butterflies.  Their  bodies  are  short  and 
thick,  with  a  large  head,  and  very  prominent  eyes ;  the 
feelers  are  short,  almost  square  at  the  end,  and  thickly 
clothed  with  hairs,  which  give  them  a  clumsy  appearance ; 
the  antennae  are  short,  situated  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  each  other,  and  in  most  of  these  insects  with  the  knob 
at  the  end  either  curved  like  a  hook,  or  ending  with  a  lit- 
tle point  bent  to  one  side  ;  the  legs  are  six  in  number,  and 
the  four  hinder  shanks  are  armed  with  two  pairs  of  spurs. 

Their  caterpillars  are  somewhat  spindle-shaped,  cylindrical 
in  the  middle,  and  tapering  at  each  extremity,  without  spines, 
and  generally  naked  or  merely  downy,  with  a  very  large 
head  and  a  small  neck.  They  are  solitary  in  their  habits, 
and  many  of  them  conceal  themselves  within  folded  leaves, 
like  the  caterpillars  of  the  thistle  and  nettle  butterflies  (  Cyn- 
thia Car  dm  and  Atalanta),  and  undergo  their  transforma- 
tions within  an  envelope  of  leaves  or  of  fragments  of  stubble 
gathered  together  with  silken  threads.  Their  chrysalids  are 
generally  conical  or  tapering  at  one  end,  and  rounded,  or 
more  rarely  pointed,  at  the  other,  never  angular  or  orna- 
mented with  golden  spots,  but  most  often  covered  with  a 
bluish-white  powder  or  bloom.  They  are  mostly  fastened 
by  the  tail  and  a  few  transverse  threads,  within  some  folded 


308  LEPIDOPTERA. 

leaves,    which  are  connected   together  by   a   loose  internal 
web  of  threads,  forming  a  kind  of  imperfect  cocoon. 

Heteropterus  marginatus.     Bordered  Skipper.     (Fig.  131.) 

Fore  wings  tawny  yellow  above,  shaded  with  brown  be- 
hind, and  with  an  indistinct  brownish 

fig*  1  <il. 

streak  in  the  middle ;  beneath,  brown, 
fl^^MH^^^Hl    with  the  front  and  hind  margin  broadly 
If  ^  bordered  with  tawny  yellow ;  hind  wings 

^K^W^BF  tawny  yellow,  with  a  broad  brownish 
outer  margin  above,  and  without  a  bor- 
der beneath  ;  antennae  and  legs  ringed  with  black  and  white  ; 
body  slender,  longer  than  the  hind  wings,  which  are  hori- 
zontal in  repose,  and  the  fore  wings  raised  and  spread  a 
little. 

Expands  about  &  of  an  inch. 

This  pretty  species  does  not  appear  to  have  been  described 
before.  The  chrysalis  from  which  it  was  obtained,  on  the 
20th  of  July,  is  rather  long,  nearly  cylindrical,  but  tapering 
at  the  hinder  extremity,  and  with  an  obtusely  rounded  head. 
It  is  reddish  ash-colored,  minutely  sprinkled  with  brown 
dots.  I  am  not  sure  that  this  skipper  belongs  to  the  genus 
Heteropterm,  but  have  placed  it  in  this  genus  on  account 
of  the  antennas,  which  are  not  hooked  at  the  end,  but  ter- 
minate much  like  those  of  the  genus  Polyommatus. 

In  the  greater  number  of  our  skippers  the  antennas  are 
curved  or  hooked  at  the  end.  This  is  the  case  in  the  kinds 
belonging  to  the  genus  Thanaos,  which  have  the  knobs  of 
the  antennae  long,  tapering,  and  curved,  the  body  thick,  and 
shorter  than  the  wings  ;  the  latter  are  generally  spread  in 
repose,  and  the  fringes  are  of  one  uniform  color,  or  not 
spotted.  The  males  are  distinguished  by  having  the  middle 
of  the  front  edge  of  the  fore  wings  doubled  back  on  the 
upper  surface. 


THE    BRIZO    SKIPPER.  309 

Thanaos  Juvenalis,  Fab.     Juvenal's  Skipper. 

Smoky  brown  on  both  sides  ;  fore  wings  variegated  above 
with  gray,  with  transverse  rows  of  dusky  spots,  and  six  or 
seven  small  semi-transparent  white  spots  near  the  tips  ;  six 
of  these  spots  are  disposed  in  a  transverse  row,  but  the  two 
hindmost  are  separated  from  the  others  by  a  considerable 
interval,  and  the  seventh  spot,  which  is  sometimes  wanting, 
is  placed  nearer  the  middle  of  the  wing ;  hind  wings  with  a 
row  of  blackish  spots  near  the  hind  margin. 

Expands  ly6^  inch. 

There  is  a  local  variety  of  this  skipper,  that  is  much  more 
common  in  Massachusetts  than  the  preceding,  of  inferior 
size,  seldom  expanding  more  than  lf^  inch,  in  which  the 
white  spots  are  smaller,  and  the  seventh  is  wanting  near 
the  middle  of  the  fore  wing.  This  skipper  is  found  in 
meadows  in  May,  and  again  in  August.  The  caterpillar 
lives  on  various  pea-blossomed  plants,  such  as  the  Glycine, 
or  groundnut,  the  Laihyrus^  or  vetchling,  &c.  It  is  green, 
with  pale  stripes,  and  a  heart-shaped  brown  head.  The 
chrysalis  is  rather  long  and  tapering,  according  to  Mr.  Ab- 
bot of  a  green  color,  and  is  enclosed  in  a  cocoon  of  leaves 
and  threads  ;  in  my  specimens  pale  yellowish  brown,  with 
a  few  minute  hairs  on  the  body,  and  with  the  tongue-case 
prominent  and  projecting  beyond  the  middle  of  the  breast ; 
and  the  cocoon  was  composed  of  stubble.  Mr.  Abbot  in- 
forms us  that  in  summer  the  skipper  leaves  the  chrysalis  in 
nine  days ;  but  the  autumnal  brood  continues  in  the  chrysalis 
state  throughout  the  winter. 

Thanaos  Brizo.     Brizo  Skipper.     (Fig.  132.) 

Dark  brown ;  fore  wings  almost  black  on  the  upper  side, 
and  variegated  with  gray  externally;  near  their  hind  mar- 
gin is  a  row  of  gray  dots,  within  which  is  a  transverse  band, 
composed  of  another  row  of  oval  gray  spots,  between  two 
slender  black  zigzag  lines,  and  across  the  middle  is  another 
band  of  the  same  kind ;  on  the  hind  wings  are  two  wavy 


310  LEPIDOPTERA. 

rows  of  ochre-yellow  dots  near  the  liind  margin  ;  all  the 
wings  beneath  have  two  rows  of  dots  of  the  same  color 
behind. 

Expands  from  l^ff  to  1TV  inch. 

This  skipper*  has  not  been 
described  before,  but  is  figured 
in  Dr.  Boisduval's  work  under 
the  name  above  given.  It  is 
found  in  the  same  places  and 
at  the  same  times  as  the  pre- 
ceding species,  to  which  also  it 
bears  a  close  resemblance  in  the  caterpillar  and  chrysalis 
states,  and  lives  on  the  same  kind  of  plants. 

In  the  skippers  which  Dr.  Boisduval  arranges  under  the 
name  of  Eudamm,  the  knobs  of  the  antennae  are  very  long, 
gradually  taper  to  a  point,  and  are  suddenly  bent  like  a  hook 
in  the  middle;  the  front  edge  of  the  fore  wings, , in  the 
males,  is  doubled  over ;  the  hind  wings  are  often  tailed,  or 
are  furnished  with  a  little  projection  on  the  hinder  angle ; 
the  fringes  are  spotted ;  and  all  the  wings  are  raised  when 
at  rest. 

Eudamus  Tityrus,  Fab.     Tityrus  Skipper.11     (Plate  V.  Fig.  1.) 

Wings  brown  ;  first  pair  with  a  transverse  semi-transparent 
band  across  the  middle,  and  a  few  spots  towards  the  tip,  of 
a  honey-yellow  color ;  hind  wings  with  a  short  rounded  tail 
on  the  hind  angles,  and  a  broad  silvery  band  across  the 
middle  of  the  under  side. 

Expands  from  2  to  2£  inches. 

This  large  and  beautiful  insect  makes  its  appearance,  from 

the  middle  of  June  till  after  the  beginning  of  July,  upon 

sweet-scented  flowers,  which  it  visits  during  the  middle  of 

'  the  day.     Its  flight  is  vigorous  and  rapid,  and  its  strength  is 

•  It  is  figured  in  Abbot's  Insects  of  Georgia  as  one  of  the  sexes,  or  a  variety, 
of  the  Juvtnulit ;  but  the  sexes  of  both  of  these  species  are  known  to  me. 

[  »  Endtu>tu  TUyrvt  belongs  to  the  genus  Goniloba  Doubleday.  —  MORRIS.] 


THE    TITYRUS    SKIPPER.  311 

so  great  that  it  cannot  be  captured  without  danger  of  its 
being  greatly  defaced  in  its  struggles  to  escape.  The  females 
lay  their  eggs,  singly,  on  the  leaves  of  the  common  locust- 
tree  (JRobinia  pseudacacia),  and  on  those  of  the  viscid  locust 
(Robinia  viscosa),  which  is  much  cultivated  here  as  an 
ornamental  tree.  The  caterpillars  are  hatched  in  July,  and 
when  quite  small  conceal  themselves  under  a  fold  of  the 
edge  of  a  leaf,  which  is  bent  over  their  bodies  and  secured  by 
means  of  silken  threads.  When  they  become  larger  they 
attach  two  or  more  leaves  together,  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of 
cocoon  or  leafy  case  to  shelter  them  from  the  weather,  and 
to  screen  them  from  the  prying  eyes  of  birds.  The  full- 
grown  caterpillar  (Fig.  133),  which  Fig.  133. 
attains  to  the  length  of  about  two 
inches,  is  of  a  pale  green  color,  trans- 
versely streaked  with  darker  green, 
with  a  red  neck,  a  very  large  head  roughened  with  minute 
tubercles,  slightly  indented  or  furrowed  above,  and  of  a  dull 
red  color,  with  a  large  yellow  spot  on  each  side  of  the 
mouth.  Although  there  may  be  and  often  are  many  of  these 
caterpillars  on  the  same  tree  and  branch,  yet  they  all  live 
separately  within  their  own  cases.  One  end  of  the  leafy 
case  is  left  open,  and  from  this  the  insect  comes  forth  to  feed. 
They  eat  only,  or  mostly,  in  the  night,  and  keep  themselves 
closely  concealed  by  day.  These  caterpillars  are  very  clean- 
ly in  their  habits,  and  make  no  dirt  in  their  habitations,  but 
throw  it  out  with  a  sudden  ierk, 

J  Fig.  134. 

so  that  it  shall  fall  at  a  consider- 
able distance.  They  frequently 
transform  to  chrysalids  within  the 
same  leaves  which  have  served 
them  for  a  habitation,  but  more 
often  quit  the  trees  and  construct 
in  some  secure  place  a  cocoon 
(Fig.  134)  of  leaves  or  fragments 
of  stubble,  the  interior  of  which  is  lined  with  a  loose  web 


312  LEPIDOPTERA. 

of  silk.  They  remain  in  their  cocoons  without  further 
change  throughout  the  winter,  and  are  transformed  to  but- 
terflies in  the  following  summer.  The  viscid  locust-tree  is 
sometimes  almost  completely  stripped  of  its  leaves  by  these 
insects,  or  presents  only  here  and  there  the  brown  and 
withered  remains  of  foliage,  which  has  served  as  a  tempo- 
rary shelter  to  the  caterpillars. 

Eudamus  BathyUus,  Smith.     Bathyllus  Skipper.     (Fig.  135.) 

In  Massachusetts  we  have  what  I  suppose  to  be  only  a 

local  variety  of  the  Bathyllus 
skipper,  differing  from  South- 
ern specimens  in  the  inferior 
size  of  the  white  spots  on  the 
fore  wings,  the  less  prominent 
hind  angle  of  the  hind  wings, 
and  the  darker  color  of  the 
fringes.  It  is  of  a  dark  brown  color ;  on  the  fore  wings  is 
a  row  of  small  white  spots  across  the  middle,  and  another 
shorter  row  of  only  three  or  four  contiguous  spots  between 
the  first  and  the  tip  ;  the  wings  beneath  are  light  brown, 
shaded  at  the  base  with  dark  brown ;  the  hinder  pair  with 
a  slightly  prominent  posterior  angle,  and  two  dark  brown 
transverse  bands. 

Expands  from  1£  to  1TV  inch. 

This  species  is  found  on  flowers  in  June  and  July ;  in  the 
Southern  States  it  appears  also  in  March  and  April.  The 
caterpillar  is  very  similar  to  that  of  the  Tityrus  skipper,  and 
is  found  on  various  kinds  of  Grlydne,  Hedysarum,  &c.,  in 
May  and  June. 

The  rest  of  our  skippers  belong  to  the  old  genus  Ilesperia 
of  Fabricius,  which,  as  now  restricted  by  the  French  ento- 
mologists, very  nearly  coincides  with  PampUla  of  the  Eng- 
lish writers.  The  American  species  are  quite  numerous, 
and  moreover  vary  a  good  deal ;  which,  with  the  difference 
existing  between  the  sexes,  renders  it  quite  difficult  to  deter- 


THE    HESPERIANS.  313 

mine  and  characterize  them.  In  the  distribution  of  the 
Hesperians,  by  far  the  largest  portion  of  the  family  or  group 
seems  to  have  been  assigned  to  the  Western  Continent ;  and 
it  is  probable  that  New  England,  or  perhaps  Massachusetts 
alone,  contains  a  larger  number  of  species  than  the  whole  of 
Europe.  The  insects  of  this  group  recede  in  many  striking 
characters,  and  in  their  general  habits,  from  the  true  butter- 
flies, and  seem  to  form  the  connecting  link  between  the  latter 
and  the  sphinges  or  hawk-moths.  Those  belonging  to  the 
genus  Hesperia  delight  in  cool  and  shady  places,  and  most 
commonly  appear  on  the  wing  towards  the  evening,  which 
led  Fabricius  to  give  them  a  generic  name  indicative  of  this 
circumstance.  Their  antennae  are  considerably  shorter  than 
in  those  included  in  Thanaos  and  Eudamus,  and  the  knob  at 
the  end,  which  is  thick  and  oblong  oval,  terminates  suddenly 
in  a  little  point  directed  to  one  side.  The  upper  wings  are 
raised  and  the  lower  are  expanded  when  at  rest ;  and  the 
fringes  are  not  spotted.  The  body  is  thick,  and  about  as  long 
as  the  hind  wings.  Most  of  the  males  are  distinguished  by 
an  oblique  black  dash  near  the  middle  of  the  fore  wings. 
The  caterpillar  lives  chiefly  on  low  herbaceous  plants.  The 
chrysalis  (Fig.  136)  is  described  as  being  conical, 
with  a  pointed  head,  and  a  long  tongue-case,  Fis- 136- 
folded  on  the  breast,  but  not  confined  at  the  point. 
The  transformation  takes  place  in  a  slight  cocoon 
of  stubble  or  grass,  connected  by  a  few  threads 
within.  These  skippers  frequent  meadows,  and 
other  grassy  and  somewhat  shady  places,  during 
the  middle  and  latter  part  of  summer.  They  are 
of  smaller  size  than  the  preceding  Hesperians,  and  are  much 
more  common  and  abundant.  Their  flight,  though  short 
and  intermitting,  is  exceedingly  swift,  and  they  possess  a 
great  deal  of  muscular  strength. 

Hesperia  Hobomok.     Hobomok  Skipper.     (Fig.  137.) 
Dark  brown  above  ;  on  each  of  the  wings  a  large  tawny- 

40 


314  LEP1DOPTERA. 

yellow  spot  occupying  the  greater  part  of  the  middle,  four 
or  five  minute  spots  of  the  same  color  near  the  tips  of  the 
fore  wings,  on  which  is  also  a  short  brownish  line  at  the 
outer  extremity  of  the  central  mesh ; 
under  side  of  the  fore  wings  similar 
to  the  upper,  but  paler  ;  hind  wings 
brown  beneath,  with  a  yellow  spot 
near  the  shoulder,  and  a  very  broad 
deep  yellow  band,  which  does  not 
attain  the  inner  margin,  and  has  a 
tooth-like  projection  extending  towards  the  hinder  edge. 
The  male  has  not  the  usual  distinguishing  oblique  dash  on 
the  fore  wings,  which  differ  from  those  of  the  female  only 
in  the  greater  size  of  the  tawny  portion,  which  extends  to 
the  front  margin. 

Expands  from  l/^  to  1TV  inch. 

This  skipper  comes  very  near  to  the  Oiho  of  Smith  and 
Abbot  (which  is  not  the  same  as  the  Otho  of  Boisduval),  and 
also  approaches  closely  to  a  species  that  is  figured  in  Dr. 
Boisduval's  work  under  the  name  of  Zabulon ;  but  does  not 
sufficiently  agree  with  either  of  them,  and,  in  the  belief  that 
it  has  not  been  described  before,  I  have  given  it  the  name 
of  one  of  our  celebrated  Indian  chiefs.  It  is  found  in  June 
and  July. 

Hesperia  Leonardus.     Leonard's  Skipper.     (Fig.  138.) 

Dark  brown  above  ;  fore  wings  of  the  male  tawny  yellow 

on  the  front  margin  from  the 
base  to  beyond  the  middle  ; 
behind  this  tawny  portion  is 
a  short  black  line,  and  be- 
hind the  latter  a  row  of  con- 
tiguous tawny  spots,  extend- 
ing from  the  middle  of  the 
inner  edge  towards  the  tip  ; 
the  spots  at  this  extremity  small  and  separated  from  the  oth- 


PECK'S    SKIPPER.  315 

ers  ;  fore  wings  in  the  female  without  the  tawny  front  edge 
and  black  line ;  hind  wings,  in  both  sexes,  with  a  central, 
curved,  tawny-yellow  band ;  wings  beneath  bright  red- 
brown  ;  the  first  pair  blackish  from  the  middle  to  the  inner 
edge,  and  spotted  as  on  the  upper  side  ;  hind  wings  with  a 
yellow  dot  in  the  middle,  and  a  curved  row  of  seven  bright 
yellow  spots  behind  it. 

Expands  from  I27<y  to  l£  inch. 

This  very  distinct  and  strongly  marked  skipper  does  not 
seem  to  have  been  described  before.  For  a  specimen  of  the 
male  I  am  indebted  to  the  Rev.  L.  W.  Leonard,  to  whom  I 
have  dedicated  the  species.  The  females  I  have  taken  in  the 
beginning  of  September. 

Hesperia  Sassaciis.     Sassacus  Skipper. 

Dark  brown  above ;  ah1  the  wings  with  a  tawny-yellow 
spot  occupying  the  greater  part  of  the  middle  of  each,  and 
with  two  or  three  little  detached  spots  of  the  same  color  near 
the  extremity  of  the  first  pair ;  beneath  ochre-yellow,  with 
small  pale  yellow  spots  near  the  tip,  corresponding  to  those 
on  the  upper  side  of  the  fore  wings  ;  and  on  the  hind  wings 
seven  small,  square,  pale  yellow  spots,  namely,  one  before  the 
middle  and  the  others  in  pairs  behind  it. 

Expands  1J  inch. 

Of  this  skipper  I  have  seen  only  the  female,  which  was 
taken  in  Cambridge  in  the  month  of  June.  Its  upper  side 
is  very  much  like  that  of  the  Hobomok  skipper,  but  it  differs 
from  it  in  the  color  and  markings  of  the  under  side,  and 
seems  not  to  have  been  described  before.  I  have  therefore 
given  it,  as  a  new  species,  the  name  of  an  Indian  warrior. 

Hesperia  Peckius,  Kirby.     Peck's  Skipper.     (Fig.  139.) 

Dark  brown  above  ;  fore  wings  with  a  row  of  contiguous 
tawny-yellow  spots,  extending  from  the  middle  of  the  inner 
margin  towards  the  tip,  where  the  spots  are  more  distant, 
and  a  tawny  line  from  the  base  to  the  middle,  behind  which, 


LEPIDOPTERA. 

in  the  male,  is  a  short,  curved,  deep  black  line  ;  hind  wings 
with   an   indented  tawny  band,    or    row    of   unequal  spots, 
behind  the  middle,  which,  in  the  male,  are  very  indistinct ; 
beneath,    light    brown  ;     fore    wings 
marked    with    bright    yellow    spots  ; 
hind  wings  with  a  very  large,  irreg- 
ular,   bright    yellow    spot,    covering 
nearly  the  whole  under  surface,  and 
almost  divided  in  two  near  the  middle. 
Expands  from  1TV  to  l^y  inch. 

This  skipper  was  named  by  Mr.  Kirby  in  honor  of  the 
late  Professor  Peck  of  Cambridge,  and  is  figured  and  de- 
scribed in  the  fourth  volume  of  the  "  Fauna  Boreali  Ameri- 
cana." The  upper  surface  of  the  female  resembles  that 
of  the  same  sex  of  the  PhyloBus  of  Drury  or  Vitellius  of 
Fabricius ;  but  the  under  side  is  different.  It  is  found  on 
flowers  in  meadows  in  the  latter  part  of  July  and  in  August. 

Hesperia  Cernes  ?  Boisduval.     Cernes  ?  Skipper. 

Dark  brown  above,  fore  wings  of  the  male  with  a  large 
brassy-yellow  spot,  extending  from  the  front  edge  beyond  the 
middle,  and  an  oblique  wavy  black  line ;  hind  wings  with  a 
brassy  gloss ;  under  side  of  the  fore  wings  tawny  yellow 
before,  dusky  behind,  with  a  pale  yellow  oblique  spot  near 
the  middle,  and  two  or  three  minute  spots  of  the  same  color 
near  the  front  margin  ;  hind  wings  dusky  ochre-yellow  be- 
neath, with  a  transverse  row  of  four  small  paler  yellow 
almost  obsolete  spots ;  head  and  body  glossed  with  green 
above,  yellowish  white  beneath. 

Expands  If^  inch. 

In  one  individual  from  the  Southern  States  there  are  two 
or  three  minute  yellow  dots  on  the  fore  wings  between  the 
oblique  line  and  the  tip.  I  think  it  probable  that  this  may 
be  the  species  figured,  but  not  described,  by  Dr.  Boisduval, 
under  the  above  name.  It  is  found  in  the  latter  part  of 
•Inly,  but  seems  to  be  rare,  and  the  female  is  unknown  to 
me. 


THE    AHATON    SKIPPER.  317 

Hesperia  Metacomet.     Metacomet  Skipper. 

Dark  brown,  slightly  glossed  with  greenish  yellow  above, 
the  male  with  a  short,  oblique  black  line  on  the  middle  of 
the  fore  wings,  on  both  sides  of  which,  in  the  female,  are  two 
yellowish  dots  on  the  middle,  and  two  more  near  the  front 
margin  and  tip ;  hind  wings  beneath  with  a  transverse  row 
of  four  very  faint  yellowish  dots,  which,  however,  are  often 
wanting. 

Expands  1T30  inch. 

It  resembles  the  preceding  in  some  respects,  but  is  of  a 
uniform  dark  color  above,  and  is  probably  a  distinct  species. 
It  appears  in  July.  Metacomet  was  the  Indian  name  of  the 
celebrated  King  Philip. 

Hesperia  Ahaton.     Ahaton  Skipper.     (Fig.  140.) 

Dark  brown  above  ;  fore  wings  in  the  male  tawny  before 
the  middle   from   the  base   nearly  to 

Fig.  140.  J 

the  tip,  the  tawny  portion  ending  ex- 
ternally in  three  minute  wedge-shaped 
spots  ;  on  the  middle  an  oblique  vel- 
vet-black line,  near  the  outer  extrem- 
ity of  which  are  two  or  three  small 
tawny  spots  ;  under  side  spotted  as  above  ;  hind  wings  with- 
out spot  above  ;  of  a  greenish  or  dusky  yellow  tinge  below, 
with  a  transverse  curved  row  of  four  minute  yellowish  dots, 
which  are  often  very  faint  or  entirely  wanting.  In  the  fe- 
male there  is  a  tawny  dash  along  the  front  margin  of  the 
fore  wings,  and  the  oblique  black  line  is  wanting,  but  the 
other  spots  are  larger  and  more  distinct. 
Expands  from  1  inch  to  lTk. 

The  markings  on  the  fore  wings  somewhat  resemble  those 
of  H.  Leonardus,  but  in  other  respects  it  is  different,  and  is 
much  inferior  in  size.  It  was  captured  many  years  ago  in 
Milton,  and  I  have  given  it  the  name  of  an  Indian  from  that 
vicinity. 


318  LEPIDOPTERA. 

Hesperia  WamsiUta.     Wamsutta  Skipper.     (Fig.  141.) 

Dark  brown  above ;   fore  wings  with  a  broken  row  of 
small  tawny  spots  towards  the  tip,  and  in  the  males  a  larp- 
tawny  patch  covering  the  whole  of  the  fore  part  of  the  wings 
Kg.  141.  fr°m  tne  base  to  the  middle,  and  an 

oblique  curved  black  line  behind  it ; 
hind  wings  with  a  small  tawny  dot 
before  the  middle,  and  an  indented 
tawny  band,  or  row  of  contiguous 
unequal  spots  ;  under  side  of  the  fore  wings  light  brown, 
and  with  larger  yellow  spots  than  on  the  other  side,  hind 
wings  light  brown,  with  two  large  irregular  bright  yellow 
spots  connected  in  the  middle  and  covering  nearly  the 
whole  surface. 

Expands  from  T9ff  of  an  inch  to  nearly  an  inch. 
This  species  hardly  differs  from  Peck's  skipper,  except 
in  being  uniformly  smaller.  It  is  a  very  common  kind, 
and  is  found  in  meadows  in  the  latter  part  of  summer, 
particularly  through  the  month  of  August.  Wamsutta, 
whose  name  I  have  given  it,  was  the  oldest  son  of  the 
Sachem  Massasoit. 

There  are  a  few  more  skippers  in  my  collection,  which 
were  taken  in  Massachusetts,  but  some  of  them  are  not  suffi- 
ciently perfect  to  be  described,  and  of  the  others  I  have 
only  one  sex. 

II.     HAWK- MOTHS.     (Sphinges.*) 

Linnaeus  was  led  to  give  the  name  of  Sphinx  to  the 
insects  in  his  second  group  of  the  Lepidoptera,  from  a 
fancied  resemblance  that  some  of  their  caterpillars,  when  at 
iv-t,  have  to  the  Sphinx  of  the  Egyptians.  The  attitude 
of  these  caterpillars  is  indeed  very  remarkable.  Supporting 
themselves  by  their  four  or  six  hind  legs,  they  elevate  the 

*  See  page  262. 


HAWK-MOTHS.  319 

fore  part  of  the  body,  and  remain  immovably  fixed  in  this 
posture  for  hours  together.  In  the  winged  state,  the  true 
Sphinges  are  known  by  the  name  of  humming-bird  moths, 
from  the  sound  which  they  make  in  flying,  and  hawk-moths, 
from  their  habit  of  hovering  in  the  air  while  taking  their 
food.  These  humming-bird  or  hawk  moths  may  be  seen 
during  the  morning  and  evening  twilight,  flying  with  great 
swiftness  from  flower  to  flower.  Their  wings  are  long, 

O  O7 

narrow,  and  pointed,  and  are  moved  by  powerful  muscles, 
to  accommodate  which  their  bodies  are  very  thick  and  ro- 
bust. Their  tongues,  when  uncoiled,  are,  for  the  most  part, 
excessively  long,  and  with  them  they  extract  the  honey  from 
the  blossoms  of  the  honeysuckle  and  other  tubular  flowers, 
while  on  the  wing.  Other  Sphinges  fly  during  the  daytime 
only,  and  in  the  brightest  sunshine.  Then  it  is  that  our 
large  clear-winged  Sesiae  make  their  appearance  among  the 
flowers,  and  regale  themselves  with  their  sweets.  The 
fragrant  Phlox  is  their  especial  favorite.  From  their  size 
and  form  and  fan-like  tails,  from  their  brilliant  colors,  and 
the  manner  in  which  they  take  their  food,  poised  upon 
rapidly  vibrating  wings  above  the  blossoms,  they  might 
readily  be  mistaken  for  humming-birds.  The  JEgerians  are 
also  diurnal  in  their  habits.  Their  flight  is  swift,  but  not 
prolonged,  and  they  usually  alight  while  feeding.  In  form 
and  color  they  so  much  resemble  bees  and  wasps  as  hardly 
to  be  distinguished  from  them.  The  Smerinthi  are  heavy 
and  sluggish  in  their  motions.  They  fly  only  during  the 
night,  and  apparently,  in  the  winged  state,  take  no  food, 
for  their  tongues  are  very  short,  and  indeed  almost  invisible. 
The  Glaucopidians,  or  Sphinges  with  feathered  antennas, 
fly  mostly  by  day,  and  alight  to  take  their  food,  like  many 
moths,  which  some  of  them  resemble  in  form,  and  in  their 
transformations.  The  caterpillars  of  the  Sphinges  have  six- 
teen legs,  placed  in  pairs  beneath  the  first,  second,  third, 
sixth,  seventh,  eighth,  ninth,  and  last  segments  of  the  body ; 
all  of  them,  except  the  ^Egerians  and  Glaucopidians,  have 


320  LEPIDOPTERA. 

either  a  kind  of  horn  or  a  tubercle  on  the  top  of  the  last 
segment,  and,  when  at  rest,  sit  with  the  fore  part  of  the  body 
elevated.  '  . 

Having  devoted  a  large  portion  of  this  treatise  to  a  de- 
scription of  the  spinning-moths,  my  observations  on  the 
other  insects  of  this  order  must  be  brief,  and  confined 
to  a  few  species,  which  are  more  particularly  obnoxious 
on  account  of  their  devastations  in  the  caterpillar  state. 
Those  persons  who  are  curious  to  know  more  about  the 
Sphinges  than  can  be  included  in  this  essay,  are  referred 
to  my  descriptive  catalogue  of  these  insects,  contained  in 
the  thirty-sixth  volume  of  Professor  Silliman's  "  Journal 
of  Science." 12 

Every  farmer's  boy  knows  the  potato-worm,  as  it  is  com- 
monly called ;  a  large  green  caterpillar  (Fig.  142),  with  a 
kind  of  thorn  upon  the  tail,  and  oblique  whitish  stripes  on 
the  sides  of  the  body.  This  insect,  which  devours  the  leaves 
of  the  potato,  often  to  the  great  injury  of  the  plant,  grows 
to  the  thickness  of  the  fore-finger,  and  the  length  of  three 
inches  or  more.  It  attains  its  full  size  from  the  middle  of 
August  to  the  first  of  September,  then  crawls  down  the  stem 
of  the  plant  and  buries  itself  in  the  ground.  Here,  in  a  few 
days,  it  throws  off  its  caterpillar-skin,  and  becomes  a  chrysa- 
lis (Fig.  143),  of  a  bright  brown  color,  with  a  long  and 
slender  tongue-case,  bent  over  from  the  head  so  as  to  touch 
the  breast  only  at  the  end,  and  somewhat  resembling  the 
handle  of  a  pitcher.  It  remains  in  the  ground  through  the 
winter,  below  the  reach  of  frost,  and  in  the  following  sum- 
mer the  chrysalis-skin  bursts  open,  a  large  moth  crawls  out 
of  it,  comes  to  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and,  mounting 
upon  some  neighboring  plant,  waits  till  the  approach  of 
evening  invites  it  to  expand  its  untried  wings  and  fly  in 
search  of  food.  This  large  insect  has  generally  been  con- 

[  12  A  more  complete  monograph  of  the  Sphinges  has  been  lately  published  in 
tin-  Journal  of  the  Aciulcmy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  1859,  Art.  V., 
p.  !i".  Ity  Dr.  Bracktnrldge  Clemens,  of  Kasion,  1'eim. — Moitms.] 


THE    FIVE-SPOTTED    SPHINX 


321 


822 


LEPID  0  P  TER  A. 

Big.  145. 


founded  with  the  Carolina  Sphinx  (Sphinx  Carolina  of  Lin- 
naeus, Fig.  145,  Fig.  146,  larva,  Fig.  147,  pupa),  which  it 


Fig.  146. 


Fig.  147. 


closely  resembles.     It  measures  across  the  wings  about  five 
inches  ;  is  of  a  gray  color,  variegated  with  blackish  lines 

and  bands  ;  and  on  each 
side  of  the  body  there  are 
five  round,  orange-colored 
spots  encircled  with  black. 
Hence  it  is  called  by  Eng- 
lish entomologists  Sphinx  guinquemaculatus  (Fig.  144),  the 
five-spotted  Sphinx.  Its  tongue  can  be  unrolled  to  the 


THE    FOUR-HORNED    CERATOMIA. 


323 


length  of  five  or  six  inches,  but,  when  not  in  use,  is  coiled 
like  a  watch-spring,  and  is  almost  entirely  concealed  be- 
tween two  large  and  thick  feelers,  under  the  head. 

Among  the  numerous  insects  that  infest  our  noble  elms, 
the  largest  is  a  kind  of  Sphinx,  which,  from  the  four  short 
horns  on  the  fore  part  of  the  back,  I  have  named  Ceratomia  * 
quadricornis  (Fig.  148),  or  four-horned  Ceratomia.  On 


Fig.  148 


some  trees  these  Sphinges  exist  in  great  numbers,  and  their 
ravages  then  become  very  obvious ;  while  a  few,  though 
capable  of  doing  considerable  injury,  may  escape  notice 
among  the  thick  foliage  which  constitutes  their  food,  or  will 
only  be  betrayed  by  the  copious  and  regularly  formed  pellets 
of  excrement  beneath  the  trees.  They  are  very  abundant 
during  the  months  of  July  and  August  on  the  large  elms 
which  surround  the  northern  and  eastern  sides  of  the  Com- 
mon in  Boston ;  and  towards  the  end  of  August,  when  they 
descend  from  the  trees  for  the  purpose  of  going  into  the 
ground,  they  may  often  be  seen  crawling  in  the  Mall  in 
considerable  numbers.  These  caterpillars  (Fig.  149),  at 
this  period  of  their  existence,  are  about  three  inches  and  a 

*  Ceratomia,  derived  from  the  Greek,  mean?  having  horns  on  flie  shoulders,  a 
peculiarity  which  I  have  not  observed  in  any  other  Sphinx. 


324  LEPIDOPTERA. 

half  in  length,  are  of  a  pale  green  color,  with  seven  oblique 
white  lines  on  each  side  of  the  body,  and  a  row  of  little 
notches,  like  saw-teeth,  on  the  back.  The  four  short  horns 


Fig.  149 


on  their  shoulders  are  also  notched,  and,  like  most  other 
Sphinges,  they  have  a  long  and  stiff  spine  on  the  hinder 
extremity  of  the  body.  They  enter  the  earth  to  become 
chrysalids,  and  pass  the  winter,  and  come  forth  in  the 
winged  state  in  the  month  of  June  following,  at  which  time 
the  moths  may  often  be  found  on  the  trunks  of  trees,  or 
on  fences  in  the  vicinity.  In  this  state  their  wings  expand 
nearly  five  inches,  are  of  a  light  brown  color,  variegated 
with  dark  brown  and  white,  and  the  hinder  part  of  the  body 
is  marked  with  five  longitudinal  dark  brown  lines.  A  young 
friend  of  mine,  in  Boston,  once  captured  on  the  trunks  of 
the  trees  a  large  number  of  these  moths  during  a  morning's 
walk  in  the  Mall,  although  obliged  to  be  on  the  alert  to 
escape  from  the  guardians  of  the  Common,  whose  duty  it 
was  to  prevent  the  grass  from  being  trodden  down.  Nearly 
all  of  these  specimens  were  females,  ready  to  deposit  their 
eggs,  with  which  their  large  bodies  were  completely  filled. 
On  being  taken  they  made  scarcely  any  efforts  to  escape, 
and  were  safely  carried  away.  It  would  not  be  difficult, 
by  such  means,  very  considerably  to  reduce  the  number  of 
these  destructive  insects ;  in  addition  to  which  it  might  be 
expedient,  during  the  proper  season,  for  our  city  authorities 
to  employ  persons  to  gather  and  kill  every  morning  the  cat- 
erpillars which  may  be  found  in  those  public  walks  where 
they  abound. 

From  the  genus  Spliinx  I  have  separated  another  group 


GRAPE-VINE    SPHINGES.  325 

to  which  I  have  given  the  name  of  Philampelus,*  from  the 
circumstance  that  the  larvae  or  caterpillars  live  upon  the 
grape-vine.  When  young  they  have  a  long  and  slender  tail 
recurved  over  the  back  like  that  of  a  dog  ;  but  this,  after 
one  or  two  changes  of  the  skin,  disappears,  and  nothing 
remains  of  it  but  a  smooth,  eye-like,  raised  spot  on  the  top 
of  the  last  segment  of  the  body.  Some  of  these  caterpillars 
are  pale  green  and  others  are  brown,  and  the  sides  of  their 
body  are  ornamented  by  six  cream-colored  spots,  of  a  broad 
oval  shape,  in  the  species  which  produces  the  Satellitia  of 
Linnasus ;  narrow  oval  and  scalloped,  in  that  which  is  trans- 
formed to  the  species  called  Achemon  (Fig.  150)  by  Drury.13 

Fig.  150. 


They  have  the  power  of  withdrawing  the  head  and  the  first 
three  segments  of  the  body  within  the  fourth  segment,  which 
gives  them  a  short  and  blunt  appearance  when  at  rest.  As 
they  attain  to  the  length  of  three  inches  or  more,  and  are 
thick  in  proportion,  they  consume  great  quantities  of  leaves  ; 
and  the  long  leafless  branches  of  the  vine  too  often  afford 

o 

evidence  of  their  voracity.  They  also  devour  the  leaves 
of  the  common  creeper  (Ampelopsis  quinquefolia),  which, 
with  those  of  our  indigenous  vines,  were  their  only  food  till 
the  introduction  and  increased  cultivation  of  foreign  vines 
afforded  them  an  additional  supply.  They  come  to  their 
growth  during  the  month  of  August,  enter  the  earth  to 
transform,  and  appear  in  the  winged  or  moth  state  the 
following  summer,  in  June  and  July.  The  Satellitia  Hawk- 
moth  (Plate  V.  Fig.  2)  expands  from  four  to  five  inches, 

*  The  literal  signification  of  this  word  is,  I  love  the  vine. 

[  *3  P.  acheinon  is  Sphinx  cranktr  Cramer  and  Hiibiier.  —  Moitius.] 


326  LEPIDOPTERA. 

and  is  of  a  light  olive  color,  variegated  with  patches  of  dark- 
er olive.     The  Achemon  (Plate  V.  Fig.  3 ;  Fig.  151,  pupa) 

expands  from  three  to  four 

"*  16L  •      t         A  v  i       i, 

inches,  is  oc  a  reddish  ash- 
color,  with  two  triangular 
patches  of  deep  brown  on 
the  thorax,  and  two  square 
ones  on  each  fore  wing ;  the  hind  wings  are  pink,  with  a 
deeper  red  spot  near  the  middle,  and  a  broad  ash-colored 
border  behind. 

The  grape-vine  suffers  still  more  severely  from  the  rav- 
ages of  another  kind  of  Sphinx  caterpillars,  smaller  in  size 
than  the  preceding,  and  like  them  solitary  in  their  habits, 
but  more  numerous,  and,  not  content  with  eating  the  leaves 
alone,  in  their  progress  from  leaf  to  leaf  down  the  stem, 
they  stop  at  every  cluster  of  fruit,  and,  either  from  stupidity 
or  disappointment,  nip  off  the  stalks  of  the  half-grown  grapes, 
and  allow  them  to  fall  to  the  ground  untasted.  I  have 
gathered  under  a  single  vine  above  a  quart  of  unripe  grapes 
thus  detached  during  one  night  by  these  caterpillars. 

They  are  naked  and  fleshy,  like  those  of  the  Achemon 
and  Satellitia,  and  are  generally  of  a  pale  green  color 
(sometimes,  however,  brown),  with  a  row  of  orange-colored 
spots  on  the  top  of  the  back,  six  or  seven  oblique  darker 
green  or  brown  lines  on  each  side,  and  a  short  spine  or  horn 
on  the  hinder  extremity.  The  head  is  very  small,  and,  with 
the  fore  part  of  the  body,  is  somewhat  retractile,  but  not  so 
completely  as  in  the  two  preceding  species.  The  fourth  and 
fifth  segments  being  very  large  and  swollen,  while  the  three 
anterior  segments  taper  abruptly  to  the  head,  the  fore  part 
of  the  body  presents  a  resemblance  to  the  head  and  snout 
of  a  hog.  This  suggested  the  generical  name  of  Chaero- 
campa,  or  hog-caterpillar,  which  has  been  applied  to  some 
of  these  insects.  (Fig.  152,  caterpillar  covered  with  cocoons 
of  a  parasitic  Hymenopterous  insect ;  Fig.  153,  the  parasite, 
natural  size  and  magnified.) 


THE    APPLE-TREE    SMERINTHUS.  327 

The  species  under  consideration  is  found  on  the  vine  and 
the  creeper  in  July  and  August ;  when  fully  grown,  it  de- 
scends to  the  ground,  conceals  itself  under  fallen  leaves, 

Fig.  152.  Fig.  153. 


which  it  draws  together  by  a  few  threads  so  as  to  form  a 
kind  of  cocoon,  or  covers  itself  with  grains  of  earth  and 
rubbish  in  the  same  way,  and  under  this  imperfect  cover 
it  changes  to  a  pupa  or  chrysalis  Fj  154 

(Fig.  154),  and  finally  appears  in 
the  winged  state  in  the  month  of 
July  of  the  following  year.  The 
moth,  to  which  Sir  James  Edward  Smith  gave  the  name 
of  Pampinatrix 14  (Plate  V.  Fig.  4),  from  its  living  on  the 
shoots  of  the  vine,  expands  from  two  and  a  half  to  three 
inches,  is  of  an  olive-gray  color,  except  the  hind  wings, 
which  are  rust-colored,  and  the  fore  wings  and  shoulder- 
covers  are  traversed  with  olive-green  bands. 

Among  the  Sphinges  of  Massachusetts  may  be  mentioned 
those  belonging  to  the  genus  Smerinthus^  whose  tongue  is 
very  short  and  scarcely  visible,  and  whose  fore  wings  are 
generally  scalloped  on  the  outer  edge.  Their  caterpillars 
are  rough  or  granulated,  with  a  stout  thorn  on  the  tail,  and 
a  triangular  head,  the  apex  of  the  triangle  corresponding 
to  the  crown.  The  blind-eyed  Smerinthus  {8.  exccecata, 
Fig.  155)  is  fawn-colored,  clouded  with  brown,  except 
the  hind  wings,  which  are  rose-colored  in  the  middle,  and 
ornamented  with  an  eye-like  black  spot  having  a  pale  blue 
centre.  The  caterpillar  lives  on  the  apple-tree,  but  is  not 

[14  C.  pampinatrix  is  Sphittx  myron   Cramer,   and  Sphinx  cnotus  Hiibner.  — 
MOHRIS.] 


328  LEPIDOPTERA. 

common  enough  to  prove  seriously  injurious.  The  same 
observation  will  apply  to  that  of  the  chocolate  brown-eyed 
Sphinx  (Smerinthm  myops),  which  lives  on  the  wild-cherry- 


Fig.  155. 


tree,  and  to  the  walnut  Sphinx  (Smerinthus  Juylandis), 
which  lives  on  the  black  walnut  and  butternut.  The  latter 
species  is  destitute  of  eye-like  spots  on  the  hind  wings. 

Of  those  belonging  to  the  genus  Sphinx  proper,  that 
which  bears  the  specific  name  drupiferarum  inhabits  the 
hackberry  (Celtis  occidentalis)  and  the  plum-tree  ;  Sphinx 
Kctimice  inhabits  the  broad-leaved  laurel  (Kalmia  latifolia)  ; 
the  caterpillar  of  the  Grordim  is  found  on  the  apple-tree ; 
that  of  the  great  ash-colored  Sphinx  ($.  cinerea)  on  the 
lilac  ;  Hylceus  on  the  black  alder  (Prinos  glaber,  &c.) 
and  whortleberry ;  and  the  curiously  checkered  caterpillar 
of  Sphinx  coniferarum  on  pines.  Of  the  hog-caterpillars, 
those  of  Chcerocampa  chcerilus  and  versicolor  may  be  found 
on  swamp  pinks  (Azalea  viscosa  and  nudiflord).  The  cater- 
pillar of  the  white-lined  morning  Sphinx  (J)dlephila  lineata) 
feeds  upon  purslane  and  turnip  leaves ;  and  that  of  Deile- 
phila  Chamcenerii  on  the  willow-herb  (Epilobium  angmti- 
folium).  The  clear- winged  Sphinges,  Sesia  pelasgmlb  (Fig. 
156)  and  diffinis,  are  distinguished  by  their  transparent 
\\ings  and  their  fan-shaped  tails.  They  hover  over  flowers, 

[  "  8.  pelatffiu   is    S.   (hisbe   Fab.  =  S.    rimbicifvrmis  Stephens  =  S.  i-uficawlis 
Kirl>y.  — 


THE    jEGERIANS. 


329 


like  humming-birds,  Fig- 

during  the  daytime, 

in  the  months  of  July 

and  August.     Their 

caterpillars    bear     a 

general  resemblance 

to  those  of  the  genus 

Sphinx,  and,  as  far 

as  they  are  known, 

seem  to  possess  the 

same  habits. 

The  ^Egerians  (jEcERiADuE)  constitute  a  very  distinct 
group  among  Sphinges.  They  are  easily  recognized,  in  the 
perfected  or  winged  state,  by  their  resemblance  to  bees, 
hornets,  or  wasps,  by  their  narrow  wings,  which  are  mostly 
transparent,  and  by  the  tufts  or  brush  at  the  end  of  the 
body,  which  they  have  the  power  of  spreading  out  like  a  fan 
at  pleasure.  They  fly  only  in  the  daytime,  and  frequently 
alight  to  bask  in  the  sunshine.  Their  habits,  in  the  cater- 
pillar state,  are  entirely  different  from  those  of  the  other 
Sphinges  ;  the  latter  living  exposed  upon  plants  whose 
leaves  they  devour,  while  the  caterpillars  of  the  ^Egerians 
are  concealed  within  the  stems  or  roots  of  plants,  and 
derive  their  nourishment  from  the  wood  and  pith.  Hence 
they  are  commonly  called  borers,  a  name,  however,  which 
is  equally  applicable  to  the  Iarva3  or  young  of  many  insects 
of  other  orders. 

The  caterpillars  of  the  ^gerians  are  whitish,  soft,  and 
slightly  downy.  Like  those  of  other  Sphinges  they  have 
sixteen  feet,  but  they  are  destitute  of  a  thorn  or  prominence 
on  the  last  segment  of  the  body.  When  they  have  come 
to  their  full  size,  they  enclose  themselves  in 
oblong  oval  cocoons  (Fig.  157),  made  of 
fragments  of  wood  or  bark  cemented  by  a 
gummy  matter,  and  within  these  are  trans- 
formed to  chrysalids.  The  latter  are  of  a  shining  bay  color, 
42 


Fig.  157. 


330  LEl'IDOPTERA. 

and  the  ed^es  of  the  abdominal   segments  are  armed   with 

— *  O  fc 

transverse  rows  of  short  teeth.      By  means  of  these  little 

teeth,  the  chrysalis,  just  before  it  is  about  to  be  transformed 

to  a  winged  insect,   works   its  way  out   of 

L-  •    .         1  -  x  * 

the  cocoon,  and  partly  through  the  hole,  in 
the  stem  or  root,  which  the  caterpillar  had 
previously  made ;  and  the  shell  of  the  chrys- 
alis (Fig.  158)  is  left  half  emerging  from  the 
orifice,  after  the  moth  has  escaped  from  it. 
The  ash-tree  suffers  very  much  from  the  attacks  of  borers 
of  this  kind,  which  perforate  the  bark  and  sap-wood  of 
the  trunk  from  the  roots  upwards,  and  are  also  found  in 
all  the  branches  of  any  considerable  size.  The  trees  thus 
infested  soon  show  symptoms  of  disease,  in  the  death  of 
branches  near  the  summit ;  and,  when  the  insects  become 
numerous,  the  trees  no  longer  increase  in  size  and  height, 
and  premature  decay  and  death  ensue.  These  borers  as- 
sume the  chrysalis  form  in  the  month  of  June,  and  the 
chrysalids  may  be  seen  projecting  half-way  from  the  round 
holes  in  the  bark  of  the  tree  in  this  and  the  following 

O 

month,  during  which  time  their  final  transformation  is  ef- 
fected, and  they  burst  open  and  escape  from  the  shells 
of  the  chrysalis  in  the  winged  or  moth  state.  Under  this 
form  this  insect  was  described,  in  my  paper  in  Professor 
Silliman's  "Journal  of  Science,"  by  the  name  of  Trochi- 
lium  *  denudatum ;  as  the  habits  of  the  larva  are  now 
ascertained,  we  may  call  it  the  ash-tree  Trockilium.  Its 
general  color  is  brown ;  the  edges  of  the  collar  and  of 
the  abdominal  rings,  the  shins,  the  feet,  and  the  under 
side  of  the  antennre  are  yellowish.  The  hind  wings  are 
transparent;  the  fore  wings  are  opaque  and  brown,  varie- 
gated with  rust-red  ;  they  have  a  transparent  space  near  the 
tips,  and  expand  about  an  inch  and  a  half. 

*  The  word  Trochilium  is  derived  from  Trochilus,  the  scientific  name  of  the 
humming-bird  genus;  and  these  insects  are  sometimes  called  humming-bird 
ninths. 


THE    PEACH-TREE    BORER.  331 

During  the  month  of  August,  the  squash  and  other 
cucurbitaceous  vines  are  frequently  found  to  die  suddenly 
down  to  the  root.  The  cause  of  this  premature  death  is 
a  little  borer  (Fig.  159,  larva),  which  be-  Fig.  159. 

gins  its  operations  near  the  ground,  per- 
forates the  stem,  and  devours  the  interior. 
It  afterwards    enters   the  soil,  forms    a  cocoon   (Fig.   160, 
cocoon  containing  chrysalis)  of  a  gummy 
substance  covered  with  particles  of  earth, 


changes  to  a  chrysalis,  and  comes  forth 
the  next  summer  a  winged  insect.  This 
is  conspicuous  for  its  orange-colored  body,  spotted  with 
black,  and  its  hind  legs  fringed  with  long  orange-colored 
and  black  hairs.  The  hind  wings  only  are  transparent,  and 
the  fore  wings  expand  from  one  inch  to  one  inch  and  a  half. 
It  deposits  its  eggs  on  the  vines  close  to  the  roots,  and  may 
be  seen  flying  about  the  plants  from  the  10th  of  July  till 
the  middle  of  August.  This  insect,  which  may  be  called 
the  squash-vine  ^iEgeria,  was  first  described  by  me  in  the 
year  1828,  under  the  name  of  dEgetfa19  Cucurbitce  (Plate 
V.  Fig.  8),  the  trivial  name  indicating  the  tribe  of  plants 
on  which  the  caterpillar  feeds.* 

The  pernicious   borer  (Fig.   161,  larva) 
which,  during  many  years  past,  has  proved 
very  destructive  to  peach-trees   throughout 
the  United  States,  is  a  species  of  jtEgcria,     tf^j 
named  exitiosa  (Plate  V.  Fig.  6,  male),  or 
the  destructive,  by  Mr.  Say,  who  first  scientifically  described 
it  in  the  third  volume  of  the  "  Journal  of  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,"   and  subsequently  gave 
a  representation  and  account  of  it  in  his  "  American   En- 

[ 16  The  genus  jEyeria  Fab.  is  now  rejected  by  the  best  authorities,  and  all 
the  species  are  put  under  Trochilium  Scopoli,  which  has  the  priority  by  thirty 
years.  —  MOKKIS.] 

*  See  New  England  Farmer,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  33 ;  my  Discourse  before  the 
Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  in  1832,  p.  26;  and  Silliman's  Journal. 
Vol.  XXXVI.  p.  310. 


:\:\-2  LEPIDOPTERA. 

tomology."  In  the  fifth  volume  of  the  "New  England 
Farmer  "  I  have  given  the  history  of  this  insect,  have  men- 
tioned the  principal  authors  who  have  noticed  it,  and  rec- 
ommended preventive  measures,  which  have  been  found 
effectual  in  protecting  the  peach-tree  from  its  most  serious 
attacks. 

The  eggs,  from  which  these  borers  are  hatched,  are 
deposited,  in  the  course  of  the  summer,  upon  the  trunk 
of  the  tree  near  the  root;  the  borers  penetrate  the  bark, 
and  devour  the  inner  bark  and  sap-wood.  The  seat  ot 
their  operations  is  known  by  the  castings  and  gum  which 
issue  from  the  holes  in  the  tree.  When  these  borers  are 
nearly  one  year  old,  they  make  their  cocoons  either  under 
the  bark  of  the  trunk  or  of  the  root,  or  in  the  earth  and 
gum  contiguous  to  the  base  of  the  trees ;  soon  afterwards 

y.  162  they  are  transformed  to  chrysalids  (Fig.  162), 
^.MM^  (Plate  V.  Fig.  7,  chrysalis  from  which  the  moth 
has  escaped,)  and  finally  come  forth  in  the 
winged  state,  and  lay  the  eggs  for  another  generation  of 
borers.  The  last  transformation  takes  place  from  June  to 
October,  most  frequently,  however,  during  the  month  of 
July,  in  the  State  of  Massachusetts.  Here,  although  there 
are  several  broods  produced  by  a  succession  of  hatches,  there 
is  but  one  rotation  of  metamorphoses  consummated  within 
a  year.  Hence  borers,  of  all  sizes,  will  be  found  in  the 
trees  throughout  the  year,  although  it  seems  to  be  necessary 
that  all  of  them,  whether  more  or  less  advanced,  should 
pass  through  one  winter  before  they  appear  in  the  winged 
state. 

Under  its  last  form,  this  insect  is  a  slender,  dark-blue, 
four-winged  moth,  having  a  slight  resemblance  to  a  wasp 
or  ichneumon-fly,  to  which  it  is  sometimes  likened.  The 
two  sexes  differ  greatly  from  each  other,  so  much  so  as  to 
have  caused  them  to  be  mistaken  for  two  distinct  species. 
The  male  (Plate  V.  Fig.  6),  which  is  much  smaller  than 
the  female,  has  all  the  wings  transparent,  but  bordered 


THE    PEACH-TREE    BORER.  333 

and  veined  with  steel-blue,  which  is  the  general  color  of 
the  body  in  both  sexes ;  the  palpi  or  feelers,  the  edges 
of  the  collar,  of  the  shoulder-covers,  of  the  rings  of  the 
abdomen,  and  of  the  brush  on  the  tail,  are  pale  yellow, 
and  there  are  two  rings  of  the  same  yellow  color  on  the 
shins.  It  expands  about  one  inch.  The  fore  wings  of  the 
female  are  blue,  and  opaque,  the  hind  wings  transparent, 
and  bordered  and  veined  like  those  of  the  male,  and  the 
middle  of  the  abdomen  is  encircled  by  a  broad  orange- 
colored  belt.  It  expands  an  inch  and  a  half,  or  more. 

This  insect  does  not  confine  its  attacks  to  the  peach-tree. 
I  have  repeatedly  obtained  both  sexes  from  borers  inhabit- 
ing the  excrescences  which  are  found  on  the  trunks  and 
limbs  of  the  cherry-tree ;  and,  moreover,  I  have  frequently 
taken  them  in  connection  on  the  trunks  of  cherry  and  of 
peach-trees.  They  sometimes  deposit  their  eggs  in  the 
crotches  of  the  branches  of  the  peach-tree,  where  the  borers 
will  subsequently  be  found;  but.  the  injury  sustained  by 
their  operations  in  such  parts  bears  no  comparison  to  that 
resulting  from  their  attacks  at  the  base  of  the  tree,  which 
they  too  often  completely  girdle,  and  thus  cause  its  prema- 
ture decay  and  death. 

The  following  plan,  which  was  recommended  by  me  in 
the  year  1826,  and  has  been  tried  with  complete  success 
by  several  persons  in  this  vicinity,  will  effectually  protect 
the  neck,  or  most  vital  part  of  the  tree,  from  injury.  Re- 
move the  earth  around  the  base  of  the  tree,  crush  and 
destroy  the  cocoons  and  borers  which  may  be  found  in  it, 
and  under  the  bark,  cover  the  wounded  parts  with  the 
common  clay  composition,  and  surround  the  trunk  with 
a  strip  of  sheathing-paper  eight  or  nine  inches  wide,  which 
should  extend  two  inches  below  the  level  of  the  soil,  and 
be  secured  with  strings  of  matting  above.  Fresh  mortar 
should  then  be  placed  around  the  root,  so  as  to  confine 
the  paper  and  prevent  access  beneath  it,  and  the  remaining 
cavity  may  be  filled  with  new  or  unexhausted  loam.  This 


334  LEPIDOPTERA. 

operation  should  be  performed  in  the  spring,  or  during  the 
month  of  June.  In  the  winter  the  strings  may  be  removed, 
and  in  the  following  spring  the  trees  should  again  be  exam- 
ined for  any  borers  that  may  have  escaped  search  before, 
and  the  protecting  applications  should  be  renewed. 

In  Europe  there  is  a  species  of  JEg&ria,  named  by  Lin- 
naeus tipuliformis,  which  has  long  been  known  to  inhabit 
the  stems  of  the  currant-bush.  This,  or  an  insect  closely 
resembling  it,  is  far  too  common  in  America,  in  the  culti- 
vated currant,  with  which  it  may  have  been  introduced  from 
Europe.  The  caterpillars  are  produced  from  eggs  laid  sin- 
gly, near  the  buds  ;  when  hatched,  they  penetrate  the  stem 
to  the  pith,  which  they  devour,  and  thus  form  a  burrow 
of  several  inches  in  length  in  the  interior  of  the  stem. 
As  the  borer  increases  in  size,  it  enlarges  the  hole  com- 
municating with  its  burrow,  to  admit  of  the  more  ready 
passage  of  its  castings,  and  to  afford  it  the  means  of  escape 
when  it  is  transformed  to  a  moth.  The  inferior  size  of 
the  fruit  affords  an  indication  of  the  operations  of  the 
borers ;  and  the  perforated  stems  frequently  break  off  at 
the  part  affected,  or,  if  of  sufficient  size  still  to  support  the 
weight  of  the  foliage  and  fruit,  they  soon  become  sickly, 
and  finally  die. 

In  some  gardens,  nearly  every  currant-bush  has  been 
attacked  by  these  borers ;  and  instances  are  known  to  me 
wherein  all  attempts  to  raise  currant-bushes  from  cuttings 
have  been  baffled,  during  the  second  or  third  year  of  the 
growth  of  the  plants,  by  the  ravages  of  these  insects.  They 
complete  their  transformations,  and  appear  in  the  moth  state, 
about  the  middle  of  June. 

The  moth  is  of  a  blue-black  color;  its  wings  are  trans- 
parent, but  veined  and  fringed  with  black,  and  across  the 
ti|>s  of  the  anterior  pair  there  is  a  broad  band,  which  is 
more  or  less  tinged  with  copper-color;  the  under  side  of 
the  feelers,  the  collar,  the  edges  of  the  shoulder-covers, 
and  three  very  narrow  rings  on  the  abdomen,  are  golden 


THE    PEAR-TREE    BORER.  335 

yellow.     The  wings  expand  three  quarters  of  an  inch,  or  a 
little  more. 

Some  years  ago,  it  was  ascertained  that  a  species  of 
j?Eyeria  inhabited  the  pear-tree  in  this  State ;  and  it  is  said 
that  considerable  injury  has  resulted  from  it.  An  infested 
tree  may  be  known  by  the  castings  thrown  out  of  the 
small  perforations  made  by  the  borers,  which  live  under 
the  bark  of  the  trunk,  and  subsist  chiefly  upon  the  inner 
bark.  They  make  their  cocoons  under  the  bark,  and  change 
to  chrysalids  in  the  latter  part  of  summer.  The  winged 
insects  appear  in  the  autumn,  having,  like  others  of  this 
kind,  left  their  chrysalis-skins  projecting  from  the  orifice 
of  the  holes  which  they  had  previously  made.  In  its  winged 
form,  this  jEgeria  is  very  much  like  that  which  inhabits 
the  currant-bush ;  but  it  is  a  smaller  species.  It  was 
described  by  me  in  the  year  1830,  under  the  name  of 
^Egeria  Pyri  (Plate  V.  Fig.  5),  the  pear-tree  jEgeria ; 
and  my  account  of  it  will  be  found  on  the  second  page 
of  the  ninth  volume  of  the  "  New  England  Farmer." 

O 

Its  wings  expand  rather  more  than  half  an  inch ;  are 
transparent,  but  veined,  bordered,  and  fringed  with  purplish 
black,  and  across  the  tips  of  the  fore  wings  is  a  broad  dark 
band  glossed  with  coppery  tints ;  the  prevailing  color  of  the 
upper  side  of  the  body  is  purple-black  ;  but  most  of  the 
under  side  is  golden  yellow,  as  are  the  edges  of  the  collar,  of 
the  shoulder-covers,  and  of  the  fan-shaped  brush  on  the  tail, 
and  there  is  a  broad  yellow  band  across  the  middle  of  the 
abdomen,  preceded  by  two  narrow  bands  of  the  same  color. 

There  are  several  more  insects  *  belonging  to  this  group 
in  Massachusetts,  one  of  which  lives  in  the  stems  of  the 
lilac,  and  another  inhabits  those  of  the  wild  currant,  Hibes 
floridum.  The  winged  male  of  the  latter  species  is  remarka- 
ble for  the  very  long,  slender,  and  cylindrical  tuft  or  pencil 
at  the  extremity  of  the  body.  Of  the  rest,  there  is  nothing 
particularly  worthy  of  note. 

*  See  Silliraan's  Journal,  Vol.  XXXVI.  pp.  309  to  313. 


336  LEPIDOPTERA. 

The  Glaucopidians,*  so  named  from  the  glaucous  or  bluish- 
green  color  of  some  of  the  species,  are  distinguished  from 
the  other  Sphinges  by  their  antennae,  which,  in  the  males 
at  least,  and  sometimes  in  both  sexes,  are  feathered,  or 
furnished  on  each  side  with  little  slender  branches,  parallel 
to  each  other  like  the  teeth  of  a  comb.  In  scientific  works 
such  antenna?  are  called  pectinated,  from  pecten,  the  Latin 
for  comb. 

The  caterpillars  of  the  Glaucopidians  have  sixteen  feet, 
are  slender,  and  cylindrical,  with  a  few  hairs  scattered 
generally  over  the  surface  of  the  body,  or  arranged  in 
little  tufts  arising  from  minute  warts,  and  are  without  a 
horn  on  the  hinder  extremity.  They  devour  the  leaves 
of  plants,  and  make  for  themselves  cocoons  of  coarse  silk, 
in  which  they  undergo  their  transformations.  The  chrysa- 
lids  are  oblong  oval,  rounded  at  one  end,  tapering  at  the 
other,  and  are  not  provided  with  transverse  rows  of  teeth 
on  the  surface  of  the  body.  In  the  caterpillar  and  winged 
states,  in  the  nature  of  their  transformations,  and  in  their 
habits,  these  insects  approach  very  closely  to  the  Phalcence, 
or  moths,  forming  the  third  division  of  Lepidopterous  in- 
sects, among  which  they  are  arranged  by  some  naturalists. 
There  are  not  many  of  them  in  Massachusetts,  and  only 
one  species  requires  to  be  noticed  here.f 

This  is  the  Procris  Americana  (Fig.  163),  a  small  moth 
yjg  m  of  a  blue-black  color,  with  a  saffron- 

-^  II  ^  colored  collar,  and  a  notched  tuft  on 

^^•Rfeu^^B^  ''"'  extremity  of  the  body.  The  wings, 
which  are  very  narrow,  expand  nearly 
*  one  inch.  This  little  insect  is  the 

American  representative  of  the  Procris  vitis  or  ampelophaya 
of  Europe,  which,  in  the  caterpillar  state,  sometimes  proves 
very  injurious  to  the  grape-vine.  The  habits  of  our  spe- 
cies are  exactly  the  same;  but  have  been  overlooked,  or 

*  8*B  additional  observations  on  page  319. 

t  For  the  other  species  see  Silliman's  Journal,  Vol.  XXXVI.  pp.  316  to  319. 


THE    GLAUCOPIDIANS.  337 

very  rarely  observed,  in  this  vicinity.  The  caterpillars 
are  gregarious,  that  is,  considerable  numbers  of  them  live 
and  feed  together,  collected  side  by  side  on  the  same  leaf, 
and  only  disperse  when  they  are  about  to  make  their  co- 
coons. They  are  of  a  yellow  color,  with  a  transverse 
row  of  black  velvety  tufts  on  each  ring,  and  a  few  con- 
spicuous hairs  on  each  extremity  of  the  body.  They  are 
hatched  from  eggs,  which  are  laid  in  clusters  of  twenty  or 
more  together  on  the  lower  sides  of  the  leaves  of  the  grape- 
vine and  creeper ;  and  they  come  to  their  growth  from  the 
middle  to  the  end  of  August.  They  then  measure  six  tenths 
or  rather  more  than  one  half  of  an  inch  in  length.  Their 
feet  are  sixteen  in  number,  and  rather  short,  and  their  mo- 
tions are  sluggish.  When  touched,  they  curl  their  bodies 
sidewise  and  fall  to  the  ground,  or,  more  rarely,  hang  sus- 
pended from  the  leaves  by  a  silken  thread.  When  young, 
they  eat  only  portions  of  the  surface  of  the  leaf;  but  as  they 
grow  older,  they  devour  all  but  the  stalk  and  principal  veins, 
and,  passing  from  leaf  to  leaf,  thus  strip  whole  branches  of 
their  foliage.  When  numerous,  they  do  much  damage  to 
the  vines  and  fruit,  by  stripping  off  the  leaves  in  midsum- 
mer, when  most  needed.  I  have  found  them  in  Massachu- 
setts on  the  grape-vine  and  on  the  common  creeper,  or  Ampe- 
lopsis  quinquefolia,  and  conjecture  that  the  latter  constitutes 
their  natural  food. 

About  the  year  1830,  Professor  Hentz  found  them  in 
swarms  upon  cultivated  grape-vines  at  Chapel  Hill,  in  North 
Carolina;  and  constant  care  was  required  to  check  their 
ravages  there,  during  several  successive  years.  Several 
broods  appeared  there  in  the  course  of  the  summer;  but 
hitherto,  only  one  annual  brood  has  been  observed  in 
Massachusetts,  although  two  or  more  broods  may  occasion- 
ally be  produced.  When  about  to  make  their  cocoons, 
the  caterpillars  leave  the  vines,  and  retire  to  some  sheltered 
spot.  They  then  enclose  themselves,  each  in  a  very  thin, 
but  tough,  oblong  oval  cocoon,  and  soon  afterwards  are 

43 


338  LEPIDOPTERA. 

transformed  to  shining  brown  chrysalids.  Early  in  July, 
and  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  I  have  seen  the  moths  flying 
about  grape-vines  and  creepers,  at  which  time,  also,  they 
pair  and  lay  their  eggs.  A  more  full  account  of  this  insect, 
illustrated  by  figures,  will  be  found  in  Hovey's  Magazine, 
for  June,  1844. 

III.     MOTHS.     (Phalcence.)* 

The  third  great  section  of  the  Lepidoptera,  which  Lin- 
naeus named  Phalcena,  includes  a  vast  number  of  insects, 
sometimes  called  millers,  or  night-butterflies,  but  more  fre- 
quently moths.  The  latter  term,  thus  applied,  comprehends 
not  only  those  domestic  moths  which,  in  the  young  or 
caterpillar  state,  devour  cloth,  but  all  other  insects  belong- 
ing to  the  order  Lepidoptera  which  cannot  be  arranged 
among  the  butterflies  and  hawk-moths. 

These  insects  vary  greatly  in  size,  color,  and  structure. 
Some  of  them,  particularly  those  with  gilded  wings,  are 
very  minute ;  while  the  Atlas-moth  of  China  (Attacus 
Atlas),  when  its  wings  are  expanded,  covers  a  space  meas- 
uring nearly  nine  inches  by  five  and  a  half;  and  the  owl- 
moth  (Erebus  Strix)  has  wings  which,  though  not  so  broad, 
expand  eleven  inches.  Some  female  moths  are  destitute 
of  wings,  or  have  but  very  small  ones,  wholly  unfitted 
for  flight ;  and  there  are  species  whose  wings  are  longitu- 
dinally cleft  into  several  narrow  rays,  resembling  feathers. 
The  stalk  of  the  antennae  of  moths  generally  tapers  from 
the  base  to  the  end.  These  parts  sometimes  resemble 
simple  or  naked  bristles,  and  sometimes  they  are  plumed 
on  each  side  of  the  stalk,  like  feathers.  There  is  often  a 
good  deal  of  difference  in  the  antennae,  according  to  the 
sex ;  feathered  or  pectinated  antennas  being  generally  nar- 
rower in  the  females  than  in  the  males;  and  there  are 
some  moths  the  males  of  which  have  feathered  antennae, 

*  See  page  320. 


MOTHS.  339 

while  those  of  the  other  sex  are  not  feathered  at  all,  or 
only  furnished  with  very  short  projections,  like  teeth,  at  the 
sides.  Most  moths  have  a  sucking-tube,  commonly  called 
the  tongue,  consisting  of  two  hollow  and  tapering  threads, 
united  side  by  side,  and  when  not  in  use  rolled  up  in  a 
spiral  form ;  but  in  many  this  member  is  very  short,  and 
its  two  threads  are  not  united  ;  and  in  some  it  is  en- 
tirely wanting,  or  is  reduced  to  a  mere  point.  Two  palpi 
or  feelers  are  found  in  most  moths.  They  grow  from  the 
lower  lip,  generally  curve  upwards,  and  cover  the  face  on 
each  side  of  the  tongue.  Some  have,  besides  these,  another 
pair,  which  adhere  to  the  roots  of  the  tongue.  Many  moths 
are  said  to  have  no  feelers ;  these  parts  being  in  them  very 
small,  and  invisible  to  the  naked  eye. 

The  caterpillars  of  these  insects  differ  more  from  each 
other  than  the  moths.  In  general  they  are  of  a  cylindrical 
shape,  and  are  provided  with  sixteen  legs ;  there  are  many, 
however,  which  have  only  ten,  twelve,  or  fourteen  legs ; 
and  in  a  few  the  legs  are  so  very  short  as  hardly  to  be 
visible,  so  that  these  caterpillars  seem  to  glide  along  in  the 
manner  of  slugs.  Some  caterpillars  are  naked,  and  others 
are  clothed  with  hairs  or  bristles,  and  the  hairs  are  either 
uniformly  distributed,  or  grow  in  tufts.  Sometimes  the 
surface  of  the  body  is  even  and  smooth ;  sometimes  it  is 
covered  with  little  warts  or  tubercles  ;  or  it  is  beset  with 
prickles  and  spines,  which  not  unfrequently  are  compound 
or  branched. 

Many  caterpillars,  previous  to  their  transformation,  en- 
close themselves  in  cocoons,  composed  entirely  of  silk,  or 
of  silk  interwoven  with  hairs  stripped  from  their  own  bodies, 
or  with  fragments  of  other  substances  within  their  reach. 
Some  go  into  the  ground,  where  they  are  transformed 
without  the  additional  protection  of  a  cocoon ;  others  change 
to  chrysalids  in  the  interior  of  the  stems,  roots,  leaves, 
or  fruits  of  plants.  The  chrysalids  of  moths  are  generally 
of  an  elongated  oval  shape,  rounded  at  one  end,  and  tapering 


.'MO  LEPIDOPTERA. 

almost  to  a  point  at  the  other;  and  they  are  destitute  of 
the  angular  elevations  which  are  found  on  the  chrysalids 
of  butterflies. 

These  brief  remarks,  which  are  necessarily  of  a  very 
general  nature,  and  comprise  but  a  few  of  the  principal 
differences  observable  in  these  insects,  must  suffice  for  the 
present  occasion. 

Linnaeus  divided  the  Moths  into  eight  groups  ;  namely, 
Attaci,  Bombyces,  Nbctuce,  G-eometrce,  Tortrices,  Pyralides, 
Tinece,  and  Alucitce;  and  these  (with  the  exception  of  the 
Attaci,  which  are  to  be  divided  between  the  Bombyces  and 
Noctuce)  have  been  recognized  as  well-marked  groups,  and 
have  been  adopted  by  some  of  the  best  entomologists  *  who 
succeeded  him. 

1.     SPIXNERS.     {Bombyces.) 

The  BOMBYCES,  so  called  from  Bombyx,  the  ancient  name 
of  the  silk-worm,  are  mostly  thick-bodied  moths,  with  anten- 
nae in  the  greater  number  feathered  or  pectinated,  at  least 
in  the  males,  the  tongue  and  feelers  very  short  or  entirely 
wanting,  the  thorax  woolly,  but  not  crested,  or  very  rarely, 
and  the  fore  legs  often  very  hairy.  Their  caterpillars  have 
sixteen  legs,  are  generally  spinners,  and,  with  few  excep- 
tions, make  cocoons  within  which  they  are  transformed. 

This  tribe  has  been  subdivided  into  a  number  of  lesser 
groups  or  families ;  but  naturalists  are  not  at  all  agreed  upon 
the  manner  in  which  these  should  be  arranged.  We  might 
place  at  the  head  of  the  tribe  those  large  moths,  whose 
Sphinx-like  caterpillars  are  naked  and  warty,  and  which, 
in  the  winged  state,  are  ornamented  with  eye-like  spots 
like  the  Smerintki;  or  we  might  place  first  in  the  series 
the  moths  whose  caterpillars  are  wood-eaters,  with  the  habits 

*  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  among  these  are  Denis  and  Schiffermuller, 
the  authors  of  the  celebrated  Vienna  Catalogue,  besides  Latreille,  Leach,  Ste- 
phens, and  others,  whose  classifications  of  the  Moths,  how  much  soever  varied, 
enlarged,  or  improved,  are  essentially  based  on  the  arrangement  proposed  by 
Linnaeus. 


THE    LITHOSIANS.  341 

and  transformations  of  the  JEgerians ;  or  we  may  begin 
with  the  smaller  species,  with  hairy  caterpillars,  whose  hab- 
its and  transformations  are  like  those  of  the  Grlaucopidiam, 
and  which  resemble  the  latter  closely  in  the  winged  state  ; 
and  thus  the  series,  from  Procris  and  other  moth-like 
/Sphinges  to  the  true  Moths,  will  be  uninterrupted.  The 
latter,  on  the  whole,  seems  to  be  the  most  natural  course, 
and  it  agrees  with  the  arrangement  of  Dr.  Boisduval,  which 
I  shall  follow,  with  some  slight  changes  only. 

Agreeably  to  this  arrangement  the  first  family  of  the  Bom- 
byces  will  be  the  Lithosians  (LITHOSIAD.E),  so  named  from 
two  Greek  words,*  meaning  a  stone,  and  to  live ;  for  the 
caterpillars  of  many  of  these  insects  live  in  stony  places, 
and  devour  the  lichens  growing  on  rocks.  (Such  also  are 
the  habits  of  Grlaucopis  Pholus  Fi  164 

(Fig.  164),  one  of  the  Glaucopid- 
ians.)  On  this  account  they  are 
not  properly  subjects  for  notice  in 
this  essay ;  but  as  some  of  the 
larger  species  are  grass-eaters,  are 
conspicuous  for  their  beauty,  and  naturally  conduct  to 
another  family  particularly  obnoxious  to  the  cultivators  ot 
the  soil,  it  may  be  interesting  to  point  out  their  distinguish- 
ing traits. 

The  Lithosians  are  slender-bodied  moths,  mostly  of  small 
size,  whose  rather  narrow  upper  or  fore  wings,  when  at 
rest,  generally  lie  flatly  on  the  top  of  the  back,  crossing 
or  overlapping  each  other  on  their  inner  margins,  and 
entirely  covering  the  under  wings,  which  are  folded  longi- 
tudinally, and,  as  it  were,  moulded  around  the  body ;  more 
rarely  the  wings  slope  a  little  at  the  sides,  and  cover  the 
back  like  a  low  roof.  The  antenna3  are  rather  long,  and 
bristle-formed ;  sometimes  naked  in  both  sexes,  more  often 
slightly  feathered  with  a  double  row  of  short  hairs  beneath, 

*  This  is  the  derivation  given  by  M.  Godart,  Hist.  Nat.  Lepidopt.  de  Franco 
Vol.  V.  p.  10. 

43* 


•  U'J  LEPIDOPTERA. 

in  the  males.  The  tongue  and  one  pair  of  feelers  are 
very  distinct  and  of  moderate  length.  The  back  is  smooth, 
neither  woolly  nor  crested,  but  thickly  covered  with  short 
and  close  feather-like  scales.  The  wings  of  many  of  the 
Lithosians  are  prettily  spotted,  and  they  frequently  fly  in 
the  daytime  like  the  Glaucopidians.  Their  caterpillars  are 
sparingly  clothed  with  hairs,  growing  in  little  clusters  from 
minute  warts  on  the  surface  of  the  body.  They  enclose 
themselves  in  thin  oblong  cocoons  of  silk  interwoven  with 
their  own  hairs.  The  rings  of  their  chrysalids  are  gen- 
erally so  closely  joined  as  not  to  admit  of  motion. 

Of  about  a  dozen  kinds  inhabiting  Massachusetts,  I  shall 
describe  only  two.  The  first  of  these  may  be  called  Grno- 
phria  vittata*r<  the  striped  Gnophria.  It  is  of  a  deep 
scarlet  color;  its  fore  wings,  which  expand  one  inch  and 
one  eighth,  have  two  broad  stripes,  and  a  short  stripe 
between  them  at  the  tip,  of  a  lead-color,  and  the  hind 
wings  have  a  very  broad  lead-colored  border  behind ;  the 
middle  of  the  abdomen  and  the  joints  of  the  legs  are  also 
lead-colored.  The  caterpillar  lives  upon  lichens,  and  may 
be  found  under  loose  stones  in  the  fields  in  the  Spring. 
It  is  dusky,  and  thinly  covered  with  stiff,  sharp,  and  barbed 
black  bristles,  which  grow  singly  from  small  warts.  Early 
in  May  it  makes  its  cocoon,  which  is  very  thin  and  silky ; 
and  twenty  days  afterwards  is  transformed  to  a  moth. 

By  far  the  most  elegant  species  is  the  Deiopeia  bella 
(Plate  VI.  Fig.  3),  the  beautiful  Deiopeia.  This  moth 
has  naked  bristle-formed  antennae ;  its  fore  wings  are  deep 
yellow,  crossed  by  about  six  white  bands,  on  each  of  which 
is  a  row  of  black  dots ;  the  hind  wings  are  scarlet  red, 
with  an  irregular  border  of  black  behind;  the  body  is 

*  This  moth  has  all  the  essential  characters  of  the  European  Gnophria  rubri- 
coltit,  an  insect  closely  resembling  in  its  colors  the  Procris  Americana.  The  name 
of  the  genus  is  derived  from  a  Greek  word  signifying  dusky,  in  allusion  to  the 
dark  color?  of  the  insects. 

[  «  Gnophria  tittata  is  Lithotia  miniala  Kirby.  —  MORRIS.] 


THE    ARCTIANS.  343 

white,  and  the  thorax  is  dotted  with  black.  It  expands 
from  one  inch  and  a  half  to  one  and  three  quarters.  Its 
time  of  appearance  here  is  from  the  middle  of  July  till 
the  beginning  of  September.  The  caterpillar  is  unknown 
to  me ;  but  Drury  states  that  he  was  informed  it  was  of 
the  same  color  as  the  fore  wings  of  the  moth,  (that  is,  yel- 
low and  white  dotted  with  black,)  and  that  it  feeds  upon 
the  blue  lupines.*  The  European  Deiopeia  pulchella,  which 
is  very  much  like  our  species,  feeds,  in  the  caterpillar  state, 
on  the  leaves  of  the  mouse-ear,  Myosotis  arvensis  and  palus- 
tris;  and  it  is  probable  that  ours  may  be  found  on  plants 
of  the  same  kind  here. 

Some  of  the  large  and  richly  colored  Lithosians  resemble, 
in.  many  respects,  the  insects  in  the  next  family,  called, 
by  the  English,  tiger  and  ermine  moths.  The  caterpillars 
of  most  of  these  tiger-moths  are  thickly  covered  with  hairs, 
whence  they  have  received  the  name  of  woolly  bears,  and 
the  family,  including  them,  that  of  ARCTIAD^E,  or  Arctians, 
from  the  Greek  word  for  bear.  The  Arctians,  or  tiger- 
moths,  have  shorter  and  thicker  feelers  than  the  Lithosians  ; 
their  tongue  is  also  for  the  most  part  very  short,  not 
extending,  when  unrolled,  much  beyond  the  head ;  their 
antennae,  with  few  exceptions,  are  doubly  feathered  on  the 
under  side;  but  the  feathering  is  rather  narrow,  and  is 
hardly  visible  in  the  females ;  their  wings  are  not  crossed 
on  the  top  of  the  back,f  but  are  roofed  or  slope  downwards 
on  each  side  of  the  body,  when  at  rest ;  the  thorax  is  thick, 
and  the  abdomen  is  short  and  plump,  and  generally  orna- 
mented with  rows  of  black  spots.  Their  fore  wings  are 
often  variegated  with  dark-colored  spots  on  a  light  ground, 
or  light-colored  veins  on  a  dark  ground  ;  and  the  hind 
wings  are  frequently  red,  orange,  or  yellow,  spotted  with 
black  or  blue.  They  fly  only  in  the  night.  Their  caterpil- 

*  Drury's  Illustrations,  Vol.  I.  p.  52,  pi.  24,  fig.  3. 

t  To  this  character  there  is  an  exception  in  the  Lophocampa  tessellaris,  the 
wings  of  which  are  closed  like  those  of  Lithosia  quadra. 


344  LEPIDOPTERA. 

lars  are  covered  with  coarse  hairs,  spreading  out  on  all 
sides  like  the  bristles  of  a  bottle-brush,  and  growing  in 
clusters  or  tufts  from  little  warts  regularly  arranged  in 
transverse  rows  on  the  surface  of  the'  body.  They  run 
very  fast,  and  when  handled  roll  themselves  up  almost 
into  the  shape  of  a  ball.  Many  of  them  are  very  destruc- 
tive to  vegetation,  as,  for  example,  the  salt-marsh  caterpil- 
lar, the  yellow  bear-caterpillar  of  our  gardens,  and  the  fall 
web-caterpillar.  When  about  to  transform,  they  creep  into 
the  chinks  of  walls  and  fences,  or  hide  themselves  under 
stones  and  fallen  leaves,  where  they  enclose  themselves  in 
rough  oval  cocoons,  made  of  hairs  plucked  from  their  own 
bodies,  interwoven  with  a  few  silken  threads.  The  chrysalis 
is  smooth,  and  not  hairy,  and  its  joints  are  movable.  . 

Some  of  the  slender-bodied  Arctians,  with  bristle-formed 
antennae,  which  are  not  distinctly  feathered  in  either  sex, 
and  having  the  feelers  slender,  and  the  tongue  longer  than 
the  others,  come  so  near  to  the  Lithosians  that  naturalists 
arrange  them  sometimes  among   the  latter,  and  sometimes 
among   the   Arctians.      They   belong   to 
Latreille's  genus    Calllmorpha*  (meaning 
beautiful  form),  one  species  of  which  in- 
habits  Massachusetts,  and  is  called   Cal- 
limorpha  militaris  (Fig.  165),  the  soldier- 
moth,  in  my  Catalogue.     Its  fore  wings 
expand  about  two  inches,  are  white,  al- 
most entirely  bordered  with  brown,  with 
an  oblique  band  of  the  same  color  from 
the   inner  margin   to   die   tip ;    and   the 

*  The  French  naturalists,  whom  I  have  followed,  include  in  this  genus  the  Eu- 
ropean moths  called  Hern,  Dominula,  Donna,  Jacobean,  &c.  Closely  allied  to  the 
Hera,  and  still  more  so  to  the  militant,  is  a  large  and  fine  species,  which  inhabits 
the  Southern  States,  and  which  I  have  named  Callimorpha  Carolina.  It  differs 
from  the  militaris  in  being  larger,  measuring  across  the  wings  two  inches  and  a 
quarter,  or  more,  and  in  having  the  hind  wings  of  a  deep  Indian-yellow  or  ochn; 
color,  with  one  or  two  black  spots  near  the  hind  margin ;  the  abdomen  also  is 
ochre-yellow.  It  i*  possible  that  this  may  bo  the  Clymene  of  Kspcr  and  Ochsen 
heimcr,  or  the  Cutuita  of  Hiibner,  whose  works  I  liave  not  seeu. 


THE    TIGER-MOTHS.  345 

brown  border  on  the  front  margin  generally  has  two  short 
angular  projections  extending  backwards  on  the  surface  of 
the  wing.  The  hind  wings  are  white,  and  without  spots. 
The  body  is  white  ;  the  head,  collar,  and  thighs,  buff-yellow ; 
and  a  longitudinal  brown  stripe  runs  along  the  top  of  the 
back  from  the  collar  to  the  tail.  This  is  a  very  variable 
moth  ;  the  brown  markings  on  the  fore  wings  being  some- 
times very  much  reduced  in  extent,  and  sometimes,  on  the 
contrary,  they  run  together  so  much  that  the  wings  appear 
to  be  brown,  with  five  large  white  spots.  This  latter  variety 
is  named  Callimorpha  Lecontei  by  Dr.  Boisduval.  The  cat- 
erpillar is  unknown  to  me.  The  caterpillars  of  the  Calli- 
morphas  are  more  sparingly  clothed  with  hairs  than  the 
other  Arctians  ;  and  they  are  generally  dark-colored,  with 
longitudinal  yellow  stripes.  They  feed  on  various  herba- 
ceous and  shrubby  plants,  and  conceal  themselves  in  the 
daytime  under  leaves  or  stones. 

Most  of  the  other  tiger  and  ermine  moths  of  Massachusetts 
may  be  arranged  under  the  general  name  of  Arctia.*  The 
first  of  them  would  probably  be  placed  by  Mr.  Kirby  in  Cal- 
limorpha^ from  which,  however,  they  differ  in  their  shorter 
and  more  robust  antennae,  always  very  distinctly  feathered, 
at  least  in  the  males.  They  are  distinguished  from  the  rest 
by  having  two  black  spots  on  the  collar,  and  three  short 
black  stripes  on  the  thorax.  The  largest  and  most  rare  of 
these  moths  is  the  Arctia  virgo,  or  virgin  tiger-moth.  On 
account  of  the  peculiarly  strong  and  disagreeable  odor  which 
it  gives  out.  it  might  with  greater  propriety  have  been  named 
the  stinking  tiger-moth.  It  is  a  very  beautiful  insect.  Its 


*  Chelonia  of  the  French,  Euprepia  of  the  Germans  (from  a  Greek  word  sig- 
nifying pre-eminent  beauty),  and  subdivided,  by  the  English  entomologists,  into 
many  genera,  founded  on  minute  differences  in  the  length  of  the  joints  of  the  feel- 
ers, &c.,  which  it  is  unnecessary  to  regard  in  this  treatise. 

t  Mr.  Kirby's  Callimorpha  parthenice  and  virguncula  closely  resemble  the  first 
two  or  three  species  which  follow.     The  European  pudica,  and  probably  also  the 
Nemeopliila  plantaginis  belong  to  the  same  group.     See  Fauna  Boreali  Americana, 
Vol.  IV.  pp.  304,  305,  pi.  4,  fig.  6. 
44 


346  LEPIDOPTERA. 

fore  wings  expand  from  two  inches  to  two  and  a  half,  are 
flesh-red,  fading  to  reddish  buff,  and  covered  with  many 
stripes  and  lance-shaped  spots  of  black ;  the  hind  wings  are 
vermilion-red,  with  seven  or  eight  large  black  blotches  ;  the 
under  side  of  the  body  is  black,  the  upper  side  of  the  abdo- 
men vermilion-red,  with  a  row  of  black  spots  close  together 
along  the  top  of  the  back.  The  caterpillar  is  brown,  and 
pretty  thickly  covered  with  tufts  of  brown  hairs.  The  moth 
appears  here  in  the  latter  part  of  July  and  August. 

The  Arge  tiger-moth  resembles  the  preceding,  but  is 
smaller,  and  not  so  highly  colored,  and  the  black  markings 
on  the  fore  wings  are  smaller,  and  separated  from  each  other 
by  wider  spaces.  Its  general  tint  is  a  light  flesh-color,  fading 
to  nankin  ;  the  fore  wings  are  marked  with  streaks  and  small 
triangular  spots  of  black ;  the  hind  wings  are  generally  deeper- 
colored  than  the  fore  wings,  and  have  from  five  to  seven  or 
eight  black  spots  of  different  sizes  upon  them  ;  there  are  two 
black  spots  on  the  collar,  and  three  on  the  thorax,  as  in  the 
preceding  species  ;  the  abdomen  is  of  the  color  of  the  hind 
wings,  with  a  longitudinal  row  of  black  dots  on  the  top, 
another  on  each  side,  and  two  rows  of  larger  size  beneath. 
The  wings  expand  from  one  inch  and  three  quarters  to  two 
inches.  I  have  taken  this  moth  from  the  20th  of  May  till  the 
middle  of  July.  The  caterpillar  appears  here  sometimes  in 
large  swarms  in  the  month  of  October,  having  then  become 
fully  grown,  measuring  about  one  inch  and  a  half  in  length, 
and  being  at  this  time  in  search  of  proper  winter  quarters 
wherein  to  make  their  cocoons.  They  are  of  a  dark  green- 
ish-gray color,  but  appear  almost  black  from  the  black  spots 
with  which  they  are  thickly  covered ;  there  are  three  longi- 
tudinal stripes  of  flesh-white  on  the  back,  and  a  row  of 
kidney-shaped  spots  of  the  same  color  on  each  side  of  the 
body.  The  warts  are  dark  gray,  and  each  one  produces  a 
thin  cluster  of  spreading  blackish  hairs.  They  eat  the  leaves 
of  plantain  and  of  other  herbaceous  plants,  and  it  is  stated* 

*  Abbot's  Insects  of  Georgia,  p.  125,  pi.  63. 


THE    TIGER-MOTHS.  347 

that  they  sometimes  make  great  devastation  among  young 
Indian  corn  in  the  Southern  States. 

A  much  more  abundant  species  in  Massachusetts  is  that 
which  has  been  called  the  harnessed  moth,  Arctia  phalerata 
(Fig.  166)  of  my  Catalogue. 

>        '     ,  ..  J  £  Fig.  166. 

It  makes  its  appearance  from 
the  end  of  May  to  the  middle 
of  August,  and  probably  breeds 
throughout  the  whole  summer. 
It  is  of  a  pale  buff  or  nankin 
color;  the  hind  wings  next  to 
the  body,  and  the  sides  of  the  body,  are  reddish  ;  on  the  fore 
wings  are  two  longitudinal  black  stripes  and  four  triangular 
black  spots,  the  latter  placed  near  the  tip ;  and  these  stripes 
and  spots  are  arranged  so  that  the  buff-colored  spaces  be- 
tween them  somewhat  resemble  horse-harness  ;  the  hind 
wings  have  several  black  spots  near  the  margin;  there  are 
two  dots  on  the  collar,  three  stripes  on  the  thorax,  and  a 
stripe  along  the  top  of  the  back,  of  a  black  color  ;  the  under 
side  of  the  body  and  the  legs  are  also  black.  The  wings  ex- 
pand from  one  inch  and  a  half  to  one  inch  and  three  quar- 
ters. The  caterpillar  is  not  yet  known  to  me.  This  moth, 
in  many  respects,  resembles  one  called  PJiyllira*  by  Drury, 
rarely  found  here,  but  abundant  in  the  Southern  States  ;  the 
fore  wings  of  which  are  black,  with  one  longitudinal  line,  two 
transverse  lines,  and  near  the  tip  two  zigzag  lines  forming  a 
W,  of  a  buff  color. 

The  feelers  and  tongue  of  the  foregoing  moths,  though 
short,  are  longer  than  in  the  following  species,  which  have 
these  parts,  as  well  as  the  head,  smaller  and  more  covered 
with  hairs.  Some  of  the  latter  may  be  said  to  occupy  the 
centre  or  chief  place  among  the  Arctians,  exceeding  all  the 
rest  in  the  breadth  of  their  wings,  the  thickness  of  their 
bodies,  and  the  richness  of  their  colors.  Among  these  is 
the  great  American  tiger-moth,  Arctia  Americana^  an  unde- 

*  More  properly  Philyra. 
44* 


348  LEPIDOPTERA. 

scribed  species,  which  some  of  the  French  entomologists* 
have  supposed  to  be  the  same  as  the  great  tiger,  Arctia  Caja, 
of  Europe.  Of  this  fine  insect  I  have  a  specimen,  which  was 
presented  to  me  by  Mr.  Edward  Doubleday,  who  obtained  it, 
with  several  others,  near  Trenton  Falls  in  New  York.  It 
has  not  yet  been  discovered  in  Massachusetts,  but  will  proba- 
bly be  found  in  the  western  part  of  the  State.  The  fore 
wings  of  the  Arctia  Americana  expand  two  inches  and  a  half 
or  more  ;  they  are  of  a  brown  color,  with  several  spots  and 
broad  winding  lines  of  white,  dividing  the  brown  surface  into 
a  number  of  large  irregular  blotches  ;  the  hind  wings  are 
ochre-yellow,  with  five  or  six  round  blue-black  spots,  three 
of  them  larger  than  the  rest ;  the  thorax  is  brown  and  woolly ; 
the  collar  edged  with  white  before,  and  with  crimson  behind ; 
the  outer  edges  of  the  shoulder-covers  are  white  ;  the  abdo- 
men is  ochre-yellow,  with  four  black  spots  on  the  middle  of 
the  back  ;  the  thighs  and  fore  legs  are  red,  and  the  feet  dark 
brown.  This  moth  closely  resembles  the  European  Caja,  and 
especially  some  of  its  varieties,  from  all  of  which,  however, 
it  is  essentially  distinguished  by  the  white  edging  of  the  col- 
lar and  shoulder-covers,  and  the  absence  of  black  lines  on  the 
sides  of  the  body.  It  is  highly  probable  that  specimens  may 
occur  with  orange-colored  or  red  hind  wings  like  the  Caja, 
but  I  have  not  seen  any  such.  The  caterpillar  of  our  species 
probably  resembles  that  of  the  Caja,  which  is  dark  chestnut- 
brown  or  black,  clothed  with  spreading  bunches  of  hairs,  of 
a  foxy-red  color  on  the  fore  part  and  sides  of  the  body,  and 
black  on  the  back  ;  but  the  clusters  of  hairs,  though  thick, 
are  not  so  close  as  to  conceal  the  breathing  holes,  which  form 
a  distinct  row  of  pearly-white  spots  on  each  side  of  the  body. 
These  caterpillars  eat  the  leaves  of  various  kinds  of  gar- 
den plants  without  much  discrimination,  feeding  together  in 
considerable  numbers  on  the  same  plant  when  young,  but 
scattering  as  they  grow  older. 

*  Godnrt,  LcSpidopt.  rle  France,  Tom.  IV.  p.  303.     It  is  figured  in  the  "  Lake 
Superior  "  of  Agassiz  and  Cabot,  pi.  7,  fig.  6. 


THE    VIRGINIA    ERMINE-MOTH.  349 

The  largest  of  the  American  Arctians  is  the  Scribonia,  or 
great  white  leopard-moth,  which  varies  in  expansion  from 
two  and  a  half  to  three  and  a  half  inches,  the  females  being 
invariably  much  larger  than  the  males.  It  is  of  a  white  color; 
the  fore  wings  and  thorax  are  ornamented  with  many  small 
oval  black  rings,  the  hind  wings  are  more  or  less  spotted 
with  black  ;  and  the  abdomen  is  yellow,  with  rows  of  large 
blue-black  spots  on  the  back  and  sides. 

The  caterpillar,  as  represented  by  Mr.  Abbot,*  is  the 
counterpart  of  that  of  the  Hebe  of  Europe,  being  chestnut- 
brown  with  transverse  red  bands  between  the  rings,  and  is 
clothed  with  clusters  of  dark  brown  hairs.  It  is  said  to 
eat  the  leaves  of  the  wild  sunflower  and  of  various  other 
plants.  It  has  been  confidently  reported  to  me  that  the 
great  leopard-moth  has  been  seen  in  Brookline ;  but  it  must 
be  very  rare  here,  for  I  have  never  heard  of  its  being  taken 
in  any  part  of  New  England.  Specimens  of  this  fine  insect 
would  be  a  very  acceptable  addition  to  any  collection  of  such 
objects. 

Of  all  the  hairy  caterpillars  frequenting  our  gardens,  there 
are  none  so  common  and  troublesome  as  that  which  I  have 
called  the  yellow- 
bear  (Fig.  167). 
Like  most  of  its 
genus,  it  is  a  very 
general  feeder,  de- 
vouring almost  all 
kinds  of  herbaceous  plants  with  equal  relish,  from  the  broad- 
leaved  plantain  at  the  door-side,  the  peas,  beans,  and  even 
the  flowers  of  the  garden,  and  the  corn  and  coarse  grasses 
of  the  fields,  to  the  leaves  of  the  vine,  the  currant,  and  the 
gooseberry,  which  it  does  not  refuse  when  pressed  by  hunger. 
This  kind  of  caterpillar  varies  veiy  much  in  its  colors ;  it  is 
perhaps  most  often  of  a  pale  yellow  or  straw  color,  with  a 
black  line  along  each  side  of  the  body,  and  a  transverse  line 

*  Insects  of  Georgia,  p.  137.  pi.  69. 


350  LEPIDOPTERA. 

of  the  same  color  between  each  of  the  segments  or  rings,  and 
it  is  covered  with  long  pale  yellow  hairs.  Others  are  often 
seen  of  a  rusty  or  brownish  yellow  color,  with  the  same  black 
lines  on  the  sides  and  between  the  rings,  and  they  are  clothed 
with  foxy-red  or  light  brown  hairs.  The  head  and  ends  of 
the  feet  are  ochre-yellow,  and  the  under  side  of  the  body 
is  blackish  in  all  the  varieties.  They  are  to  be  found  of 
different  ages  and  sizes  from  the  first  of  June  till  October. 
When  fully  grown  they  are  about  two  inches  long,  and  then 
creep  into  some  convenient  place  of  shelter,  make  their  co- 
coons, in  which  they  remain  in  the  chrysalis  state  during  the 
winter,  and  are  changed  to  moths  in  the  months  of  May  or 
June  following.  Some  of  the  first  broods  of  these  caterpil- 
lars appear  to  come  to  their  growth  early  in  summer,  and  are 
transformed  to  moths  by  the  end  of  July  or  the  beginning  of 
August,  at  which  time  I  have  repeatedly  taken  them  in  the 
winged  state ;  but  the  greater  part  pass  through  their  last 
Flg  16g  change  in  June.  The 

moth  (Fig.  168)  is  fa- 
miliarly known  by  the 
name  of  the  white  mil- 
ler, and  is  often  seen 
about  houses.  Its  sci- 
entific name  is  Arctia 
Viryinica^  and,  as  it 
nearly  resembles  the  insects  commonly  called  ermine-moths  * 
in  England,  we  may  give  to  it  the  name  of  the  Virginia 
ermine-moth.  It  is  white,  with  a  black  point  on  the  middle 
of  the  fore  wings,  and  two  black  dots  on  the  hind  wings,  one 
on  the  middle  and  the  other  near  the  posterior  angle,  much 
more  distinct  on  the  under  than  on  the  upper  side  ;  there  is 
a  row  of  black  dots  on  the  top  of  the  back,  another  on  each 
side,  and  between  these  a  longitudinal  deep  yellow  stripe; 
the  hips  and  thighs  of  the  fore  legs  are  also  ochre-yellow. 

["  Arctia  Vlryinicn  belongs  to  the  genus  Spilosoma.  —  MORRIS.] 

*  It  is  most  like  the  Arctia  Urticas,  but  is  of  a  much  purer  white  color. 


THE    SALT-MARSH    CATERPILLAR.  351 

It  expands  from  one  inch  and  a  half  to  two  inches.  Its  eggs 
are  of  a  golden-yellow  color,  and  are  laid  in  patches  upon  the 
leaves  of  plants.  In  some  parts  of  France,  and  in  Belgium, 
the  people  have  been  required  by  law  to  echeniller,  or  uncat- 
erpillar,  their  gardens  and  orchards,  and  have  been  punished 
by  fine  for  the  neglect  of  the  duty.  Although  we  have  not 
yet  become  so  prudent  and  public-spirited  as  to  enact  similar 
regulations,  we  might  find  it  for  our  advantage  to  offer  a 
bounty  for  the  destruction  of  caterpillars  ;  and  though  we 
should  pay  for  them  by  the  quart,  as  we  do  for  berries,  we 
should  be  gainers  in  the  end,  while  the  children  whose  idle 
hours  were  occupied  in  the  picking  of  them  would  find  this  a 
profitable  employment. 

The  salt-marsh  caterpillar  (Fig.  169),  an  insect  by  far  too 
well  known  on  our  seaboard,  and  now  getting  to  be  common 
in  the  interior  of  the 
State,  whither  it  has 
probably  been  intro- 
duced, while  under 
the  chrysalis  form, 
with  the  salt  hay  an- 
nually carried  from  the  coast  by  our  inland  farmers,  closely 
resembles  the  yellow  bear  in  some  of  its  varieties.  The 
history  of  this  insect  forms  the  subject  of  a  communication 
made  by  me  to  the  Agricultural  Society  of  Massachusetts,  in 
the  year  1823,  and  printed  in  the  seventh  volume  of  the 
"  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Repository  and  Journal,"  with 
figures  representing  the  insect  in  its  different  stages.  At 
various  times  and  intervals  since  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  and  probably  before  it  also,  the  salt  marshes  about 
Boston  have  been  overrun  and  laid  waste  by  swarms  of  cater- 
pillars. These  appear  towards  the  end  of  June,  and  grow 
rapidly  from  that  time  till  the  first  of  August.  During  this 
month  they  come  to  their  full  size,  and  begin  to  run,  as  the 
phrase  is,  or  retreat  from  the  marshes,  and  disperse  through 
the  adjacent  uplands,  often  committing  very  extensive  ravages 


352  LEPIDOPTERA. 

in  their  progress.  Corn-fields,  gardens,  and  even  the  rank 
weeds  by  the  way-side,  afford  them  temporary  nourishment 
while  wandering  in  search  of  a  place  of  security  from  the 
tide  and  weather.  They  conceal  themselves  in  walls,  under 
stones,  in  hay-stacks  and  mows,  in  wood-piles,  and  in  any 
other  places  in  their  way,  which  will  afford  them  the  proper 
degree  of  shelter  during  the  winter.  Here  they  make  their 
coarse  hairy  cocoons,  and  change  to  chrysalids,  in  which  form 
they  remain  till  the  following  summer,  and  are  transformed 
to  moths  in  the  month  of  June. 

In  those  cases  where,  from  any  cause,  the  caterpillars, 
when  arrived  at  maturity,  have  been  unable  to  leave  the 
marshes,  they  conceal  themselves  beneath  the  stubble,  and 
there  make  their  cocoons.  Such,  for  the  most  part,  is  the 
course  and  duration  of  the  lives  of  these  insects  in  Massa- 
chusetts ;  but  in  the  Middle  and  Southern  States  two  broods 
are  brought  to  perfection  annually,  and  even  here  some  of 
them  run  through  their  course  sooner,  and  produce  a  second 
brood  of  caterpillars  in  the  same  season  ;  for  I  have  obtained 
the  moths  between  the  15th  and  20th  of  May,  and  again  be- 
tween the  1st  and  the  10th  of  August.  Those  which  were 
disclosed  in  May  passed  the  winter  in  the  chrysalis  form, 
while  the  moths  which  appeared  in  August  must  have  been 
produced  from  caterpillars  that  had  come  to  their  growth  and 
gone  through  all  their  transformations  during  the  same  sum- 
mer. This,  however,  in  Massachusetts,  is  not  a  common 
occurrence ;  for  by  far  the  greater  part  of  these  insects 
appear  at  one  time,  and  require  a  year  to  complete  their 
several  changes. 

The  full-grown  caterpillar  measures  one  inch  and  three 
quarters  or  more  in  length.  It  is  clothed  with  long  hairs, 
which  are  sometimes  black  and  sometimes  brown  on  the  back 
and  fore  part  of  the  body,  and  of  a  lighter  brown  color  on 
the  sides.  The  hairs,  like  those  of  the  other  Arctians,  grow 
in  spreading  clusters  from  warts,  which  are  of  a  yellowish 
color  in  this  species.  The  body,  when  stripped  of  the  hairs, 


THE    SALT-MARSH    CATERPILLAR.  353 

is  yellow,  shaded  at  the  sides  with  black,  and  there  is  a 
blackish  line  extending  along  the  top  of  the  back.  The 
breathing-holes  are  white,  and  very  distinct  even  through 
the  hairs.  These  caterpillars,  when  feeding  on  the  marshes, 
are  sometimes  overtaken  by  the  tide,  and  when  escape  be- 
comes impossible  they  roll  themselves  up  in  a  circular  form, 
as  is  common  with  others  of  the  tribe,  and  abandon  them- 
selves to  their  fate.  The  hairs  on  their  bodies  seem  to  have 
a  repelling  power,  and  prevent  the  water  from  wetting  their 
skins,  so  that  they  float  on  the  surface,  and  are  often  carried 
by  the  waves  to  distant  places,  where  they  are  thrown  on 
shore  and  left  in  winrows  with  the  wash  of  the  sea.  After 
a  little  time,  most  of  them  recover  from  their  half-drowned 
condition,  and  begin  their  depredations  anew.  In  this  way, 
these  insects  seem  to  have  spread  from  the  places  where  they 
first  appeared  to  others  at  a  considerable  distance. 

From  the  marshes  about  Cambridge  they  were  once,  it  is 
said,  driven  in  great  numbers  by  a  high  tide  and  strong  wind 
upon  Boston  Neck,  near  to  Roxbury  line.  Thence  they  seem 
to  have  migrated  to  the  eastern  side  of  the  Neck,  and,  follow- 
ing the  marshes  to  South  Boston  and  Dorchester,  they  have 
spread  in  the  course  of  time  to  those  which  border  upon 
Neponset  River  and  Quincy.  How  far  they  have  extended 
north  of  Boston  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  ;  but  I 
believe  that  they  are  occasionally  found  on  all  the  marshes 
of  Chelsea,  Saugus,  and  Lynn.  Although  these  insects  do 
not  seem  ever  entirely  to  have  disappeared  from  places  where 
they  have  once  established  themselves,  they  do  not  prevail 
every  year  in  the  same  overwhelming  swarms  ;  but  their 
numbers  are  increased  or  lessened  at  irregular  periods  from 
causes  which  are  not  well  understood. 

These  caterpillars  are  produced  from  eggs,  which  are  laid 
by  the  moths  on  the  grass  of  the  marshes  about  the  middle 
of  June,  and  are  hatched  in  seven  or  eight  days  afterwards ; 
and  the  number  of  eggs  deposited  by  a  single  female  is,  on  an 
average,  about  eight  hundred.  The  moths  themselves  vary 
45 


354  LEPIDOPTERA. 

in  color.  In  the  males  (Plate  VI.  Fig.  9),  the  thorax  and 
upper  side  of  the  fore  wings  are  generally  white,  the  latter 
spotted  with  black  ;  the  hind  wings  and  abdomen,  except  the 
tail,  deep  ochre-yellow,  the  former  with  a  few  black  spots 
near  the  hind  margin,  and  the  abdomen  with  a  row  of  six 
black  spots  on  the  top  of  the  back,  two  rows  on  the  sides, 
and  one  on  the  belly;  the  under  side  of  all  the  wings  and  the 
thighs  are  deep  yellow.  It  expands  from  one  inch  and  seven 
eighths  to  two  inches  and  a  quarter.  The  female  (Plate  VI. 
Fig.  10)  differs  from  the  male  either  in  having  the  hind  wings 
white,  instead  of  ochre-yellow,  or  in  having  all  the  wings 
ashen-gray  with  the  usual  black  spots.  It  expands  two  in- 
ches and  three  eighths  or  more.  Sometimes,  though  rarely, 
male  moths  occur  with  the  fore  wings  ash-colored  or  dusky. 
Professor  Peck  called  this  moth  pseuderminea,  that  is,  false 
ermine,  and  this  name  was  adopted  by  me  in  my  communi- 
cation to  the  Agricultural  Society.  Professor  Peck's  name, 
however,  cannot  be  retained,  inasmuch  as  the  insect  had  been 
previously  named  and  described.  Drury,  the  first  describer 
of  the  moth,  called  the  male  Caprotina,  and  the  female  Acrea,* 
supposing  them  to  be  different  species  ;  but  the  latter  name 
alone  has  been  retained  for  this  species  by  most  naturalists. 

In  order  to  lessen  the  ravages  of  the  salt-marsh  caterpil- 
lars, and  to  secure  a  fair  crop  of  hay  when  these  insects 
abound,  the  marshes  should  be  mowed  early  in  July,  at 
which  time  the  caterpillars  are  small  and  feeble,  and,  being 
unable  to  wander  far,  will  die  before  the  crop  is  gathered  in. 
In  defence  of  early  mowing,  it  may  be  said  that  it  is  the  only 
way  by  which  the  grass  may  be  saved  in  those  meadows 
where  the  caterpillars  have  multiplied  to  any  exent ;  and  if 
the  practice  is  followed  generally,  and  continued  during  sev- 
eral years  in  succession,  it  will  do  much  towards  extermi- 
nating these  destructive  insects. 

By  the  practice  of  late  mowing,  where  the  caterpillars 
abound,  a  great  loss  in  the  crop  will  be  sustained,  immense 

*  The  proper  orthography  is  AcraM. 


THE    ISABELLA    TIGER-MOTH.  355 

numbers  of  caterpillars  and  grasshoppers  will  be  left  to  grow 
to  maturity  and  disperse  upon  the  uplands,  by  which  means 
the  evil  will  go  on  increasing  from  year  to  year ;  or  they  will 
be  brought  in  with  the  hay  to  perish  in  our  barns  and  stacks, 
where  their  dead  bodies  will  prove  offensive  to  the  cattle,  and 
occasion  a  waste  of  fodder.  To  get  rid  of  "  the  old  fog  "  or 
stubble,  which  becomes  much  thicker  and  longer  in  conse- 
quence of  early  mowing,  the  marshes  should  be  burnt  over  in 
March.  The  roots  of  the  grass  will  not  be  injured  by  burn- 
ing the  stubble,  on  the  contrary  they  will  be  fertilized  by  the 
ashes ;  while  great  numbers  of  young  grasshoppers,  cocoons 
of  caterpillars,  and  various  kinds  of  destructive  insects,  with 
their  eggs,  concealed  in  the  stubble,  will  be  destroyed  by  the 
fire.  In  the  Province  of  New  Brunswick,  the  benefit  arising 
from  burning  the  stubble  has  long  been  proved ;  and  this 
practice  is  getting  into  favor  here. 

During  the  autumn  there  may  be  seen  in  our  gardens  and 
fields,  and  even  by  the  way-side,  a  kind  of  caterpillar  (Fig. 
170)  whose  peculiar  appearance 
must  frequently  have  excited  at- 
tention. It  is  very  thickly  clothed 
with  hairs,  which  are  stiff,  short, 
and  perfectly  even  at  the  ends,  like 
the  bristles  of  a  brush,  as  if  they 
had  all  been  shorn  off  with  the  shears  to  the  same  length. 
The  hairs  on  the  first  four  and  last  two  rings  are  black ;  and 
those  on  the  six  intermediate  rings  of  the  body  are  tan-red. 
The  head  and  body  of  the  caterpillar  are  also  black.  When 
one  of  these  insects  is  taken  up,  it  immediately  rolls  itself  into 
a  ball,  like  a  hedge-hog,  and,  owing  to  its  form  and  to  the  elas- 
ticity of  the  diverging  hairs  with  which  it  is  covered,  it  read- 
ily slides  from  the  fingers  and  hand  of  its  captor.  It  eats 
the  leaves  of  the  clover,  dandelion,  narrow-leaved  plantain, 
and  of  various  other  herbaceous  plants,  and  on  the  approach 
of  winter  creeps  under  stones,  rails,  or  boards  on  the  ground, 
where  it  remains  in  a  half-torpid  state  till  spring.  In  April 


356  LEPIDOPTERA. 

or  May  it  makes  an  oval  blackish  cocoon,  composed  chiefly 
of  the  hairs  of  its  body,  and  comes  forth  in  the  moth  state 
in  June  or  July. 

My  specimens  remained  in  the  chrysalis  form  five  weeks ; 
but  Mr.  Abbot*  states  that  a  caterpillar  of  this  kind,  which 
made  its  cocoon  in  Georgia  on  the  24th  of  June,  was  trans- 
formed to  a  moth  on  the  5th  of  July,  having  remained  only 
eleven  days  in  the  chrysalis  state.  The  moth  is  the  Arctia 
Isabella,  or  Isabella  tiger-moth,  and  it  differs  essentially  from 
those  which  have  been  described  in  the  antennae,  which  are 
not  feathered,  but  are  merely  covered  on  the  under  side  with 
a  few  fine  and  short  hairs,  and  even  these  are  found  only  in 
the  males.  Its  color  is  a  dull  grayish  tawny -yellow ;  there 
are  a  few  black  dots  on  the  wings,  and  the  hinder  pair  are 
frequently  tinged  with  orange-red  ;  on  the  top  of  the  back  is 
a  row  of  about  six  black  dots,  and  on  each  side  of  the  body 
a  similar  row  of  dots.  The  wings  expand  from  two  inches 
to  two  inches  and  three  eighths.  The  specific  name,  which 
was  first  given  to  this  moth  by  Sir  James  Edward  Smith,  is 
expressive  of  its  peculiar  shade  of  yellow. 

We  have  a  much  smaller  tiger-moth,  with  naked  antennae 

like  those  of  the  Isabella.     Its  wings  are  so  thinly  covered 

with  scales  as  to  be  almost  transpar- 

Fig.  171. 

\      j  ent.     It  has  not  yet  been  described, 

£|^B^^H^flB&    and  it  may  be  called  the  ruddle  tiger- 
moth,   Arctia  rubricosa  (Fig.  171). 
^^P^B^I^^         Its    fore   wings    are    reddish-brown, 
with   a   small   black    spot    near   the 

middle  of  each  ;  its  hind  wings  are  dusky,  becoming  blacker 
behind  (more  rarely  red,  with  a  broad  blackish  border  be- 
hind), with  two  black  dots  near  the  middle,  the  inner  margin 
next  to  the  body,  and  the  fringe,  of  a  red  color  ;  the  thorax 
is  reddish-brown  ;  and  the  abdomen  is  cinnabar-red,  with  a 
row  of  black  dots  on  the  top,  and  another  row  on  each  side. 
It  expands  about  one  inch  and  one  quarter.  This  moth  is 

*  Insects  of  Georgia,  p.  131,  pi.  66. 


THE    FALL    WEB-WORM.  357 

rare  ;  and  it  appears  here  in  July  and  August.  It  closely 
resembles  the  ruby  tiger-moth,  Arctia  fuliginosa,  of  Europe, 
the  wings  of  which  are  not  so  transparent,  and  have  two 
black  dots  on  each  of  them,  with  a  distinct  row  of  larger 
black  spots  around  the  outer  margin  of  the  hind  pair.  The 
caterpillar  of  our  moth  is  unknown  to  me ;  it  will  probably 
be  found  to  resemble  that  of  the  ruby  tiger,  which  is  black- 
ish, and  thickly  covered  with  reddish-brown  or  reddish-gray 
hairs.  It  eats  the  leaves  of  plantain,  dock,  and  of  various 
other  herbaceous  plants,  grows  to  the  length  of  one  inch  and 
three  eighths,  passes  the  winter  concealed  beneath  stones,  or 
in  the  crevices  of  walls,  and  makes  its  cocoon  in  the  spring. 

The  caterpillars  of  all  the  foregoing  Arctians  live  almost 
entirely  upon  herbaceous  plants ;  those  which  follow  (with 
one  exception  only)  devour  the  leaves  of  trees.  Of  the  latter, 
the  most  common  and  destructive  are  the  little  caterpillars 
known  by  the  name  of  fall  web-worms,  whose  large  webs, 
sometimes  extending  over  entire  branches  with  their  leaves, 
may  be  seen  on  our  native  elms,  and  also  on  apple  and  other 
fruit  trees,  in  the  latter  part  of  summer.  The  eggs,  from 
which  these  caterpillars  proceed,  are  laid  by  the  parent  moth 
in  a  cluster  upon  a  leaf  near  the  extremity  of  a  branch ;  they 
are  hatched  from  the  last  of  June  till  the  middle  of  August, 
some  broods  being  early  and  others  late,  and  the  young  cat- 
erpillars immediately  begin  to  provide  a  shelter  for  them- 
selves by  covering  the  upper  side  of  the  leaf  with  a  web, 
which  is  the  result  of  the  united  labors  of  the  whole  brood. 
They  feed  in  company  beneath  this  web,  devouring  only  the 
upper  skin  and  pulpy  portion  of  the  leaf,  leaving  the  veins 
and  lower  skin  of  the  leaf  untouched.  As  they  increase  in 
size  they  enlarge  their  web,  carrying  it  over  the  next  lower 
leaves,  all  the  upper  and  pulpy  parts  of  which  are  eaten  in 
the  same  way,  and  thus  they  continue  to  work  downwards, 
till  finally  the  web  covers  a  large  portion  of  the  branch  with 
its  dry,  brown,  and  filmy  foliage,  reduced  to  this  unseemly 
condition  by  these  little  spoilers.  These  caterpillars  (Plate 


358  LEPIDOPTERA. 

VII.  Fig.  12,  young  caterpillar),  when  fully  grown,  measure 
rather  more  than  one  inch  in  length ;  their  bodies  are  more 
slender  than  those  of  the  other  Arctians,  and  are  very  thinly 
clothed  with  hairs  of  a  grayish  color,  intermingled  with  a  few 
which  are  black.  The  general  color  of  the  body  is  greenish 
yellow  dotted  with  black ;  there  is  a  broad  blackish  stripe 
along  the  top  of  the  back,  and  a  bright  yellow  stripe  on  each 
side.  The  warts,  from  which  the  thin  bundles  of  spreading, 
silky  hairs  proceed,  are  black  on  the  back,  and  rust-yellow  or 
orange  on  the  sides.  The  head  and  feet  are  black. 

I  have  not  observed  the  exact  length  of  time  required  by 
these  insects  to  come  to  maturity ;  but  towards  the  end  of 
August  and  during  the  month  of  September  they  leave  the 
trees,  disperse,  and  wander  about,  eating  such  plants  as  hap- 
pen to  lie  in  their  course,  till  they  have  found  suitable  places 
of  shelter  and  concealment,  where  they  make  their  thin  and 
almost  transparent  cocoons  (Plate  VII.  Fig.  10 ;  Fig.  11,  pu- 
pa), composed  of  a  slight  web  of  silk  intermingled  with  a  few 
hairs.  They  remain  in  the  cocoons  in  the  chrysalis  state 
through  the  winter,  and  are  transformed  to  moths  in  the 
months  of  June  and  July.  These  moths  are  white  and 
without  spots  ;  the  fore  thighs  are  tawny  yellow,  and  the 
feet  blackish.  Their  wings  expand  from  one  inch  and  a 
quarter  to  one  inch  and  three  eighths.  Their  antennae  and 
feelers  do  not  differ  essentially  from  those  of  the  majority  of 
the  Arctians,  the  former  in  the  males  being  doubly  feathered 
beneath,  and  those  of  the  females  having  two  rows  of  minute 
teeth  on  the  under  side.  This  species  was  first  described  by 
me  in  the  seventh  volume  of  the  New  England  Farmer, 
page  33,  where  I  gave  it  the  name  of  Arctia  textor,  the  weav- 
er, from  the  well-known  habits  of  its  caterpillar.  Should  it 
be  found  expedient  to  remove  it  from  the  genus  Arctia,  I 
propose  to  call  the  genus  which  shall  include  it  Hyphantria, 
a  Greek  name  for  weaver,  and  place  in  the  same  genus  the 
many-spotted  ermine-moth,  Arctia  punctati&sima™  of  Sir  J. 

[w  Arctia  punctatittima  is  Spilotoma  cunea  Drury.  —  MORRIS.] 


THE    MILK-WEED    CATERPILLAR.  359 

E.  Smith,  which  is  found  in  the  Southern  States,  and  agrees 
with  our  weaver  in  habits.  From  the  foregoing  account  of 
the  habits  and  transformations  of  the  fall  web-worm,  or 
Hyphantria  textor?®  it  is  evident  that  the  only  time  in  which 
we  can  attempt  to  exterminate  these  destructive  insects  with 
any  prospect  of  success  is  when  they  are  young  and  just  be- 
ginning to  make  their  webs  on  the  trees.  So  soon,  then,  as 
the  webs  begin  to  appear  on  the  extremities  of  the  branches, 
they  should  be  stripped  off,  with  the  few  leaves  which  they 
cover,  and  the  caterpillars  contained  therein,  at  one  grasp, 
and  should  be  crushed  under  foot. 

There  are  many  kinds  of  hairy  caterpillars  in  Massachu- 
setts, differing  remarkably  from  those  of  the  other  Arctians, 
and  resembling  in  some  respects 
those  belonging  to  the  next  tribe, 
with  which  they  appear  to  con- 
nect the  true  Arctians.  The  first 
of  these  are  little  party-colored 
tufted  caterpillars  (Fig.  172), 

which  may  be  found  in  great  plenty  on  the  common  milk- 
weed, Asclepias  Syriaca^  during  the  latter  part  of  July  and 
the  whole  of  August.  Although  the  plants  on  which  these 
insects  live  are  generally  looked  upon  as  weeds  and  cumber- 
ers  of  the  soil,  yet  the  insects  themselves  are  deserving  of 
notice,  on  account  of  their  singularity,  and  the  place  that 
they  fill  in  the  order  to  which  they  belong.  They  keep  to- 
gether in  companies,  side  by  side,  beneath  the  leaves,  their 
heads  all  turned  towards  the  edge  of  the  leaf  while  they  are 
eating,  and  when  at  rest  they  arch  up  the  fore  part  of  the 
body  and  bend  down  the  head,  which  is  then  completely  con- 
cealed by  long  overhanging  tufts  of  hairs,  and  if  disturbed 
they  jerk  their  heads  and  bodies  in  a  very  odd  way.  These 
harlequin  caterpillars  have  sixteen  legs,  which,  with  the  head, 
are  black.  Their  bodies  are  black  also,  with  a  whitish  line 
on  each  side,  and  are  thickly  covered  with  short  tufts  of  hairs 

[20  Uypiiantriii  lextor  is  Sjnlosoma  lextw.  —  Mourns.] 


360  LEPIDOPTERA. 

proceeding  from  little  warts.  Along  the  top  of  the  back  is  a 
row  of  short  black  tufts,  and  on  each  side,  from  the  fifth  to 
the  tenth  ring  inclusive,  are  alternate  tufts  of  orange  and  of 
yellow  hairs,  curving  upwards  so  as  nearly  to  conceal  the 
black  tufts  between  them ;  below  these,  along  the  sides  of  the 
body,  is  a  row  of  horizontal  black  tufts ;  on  the  first  and 
second  rings  are  four  long  pencil-like  black  tufts  extending 
over  the  head,  on  each  side  of  the  third  ring  is  a  similar  black 
pencil,  and  two,  which  are  white,  placed  in  the  same  manner 
on  the  sides  of  the  fourth  and  of  the  tenth  rings.  About  the 
last  of  August,  and  during  the  month  of  September,  these 
caterpillars  leave  the  milk-weed,  disperse,  conceal  themselves, 
and  make  their  cocoons  (Fig.  173),  which  mostly  consist  of 

hairs.      The  chrysalis  (Fig.  174) 

Fig.  173.  Fig.  174.  J  *• 

is  short,  almost  egg-shaped,  being 
quite  blunt  and  rounded  at  the 
hind  end,  and  is  covered  with  lit- 
tle punctures  like  those  on  the  head  of  a  thimble,  only  much 
smaller.  The  chrysalids  are  transformed  to  moths  between 
the  middle  of  June  and  the  beginning  of  July.  These  moths, 
though  not  so  slender  as  the  Callimorphas,  are  not  so  thick 
and  robust  as  the  Arctias,  their  antennae  resemble  those  of 
the  latter,  but  are  rather  longer,  the  feelers  are  also  longer, 
and  spread  apart  from  each  other,  and  the  tongue  is  but  little 
longer  than  the  head,  when  unrolled.  The  wings  are  rather 
long,  thin,  and  delicate,  of  a  bluish-gray  color,  paler  on  the 
front  edge,  and  without  spots ;  the  head,  thorax,  under  side 
of  the  body,  and  the  legs  are  also  gray  ;  the  neck  is  cream- 
colored  ;  the  top  of  the  abdomen  bright  Indian-yellow,  with 
a  row  of  black  spots,  and  two  rows  on  each  side.  It  expands 
from  one  inch  and  three  quarters  to  nearly  two  inches.  This 
moth  was  figured  and  described  many  years  ago  by  Drury, 
who  named  it  Eyle.  Though  marked  and  colored  like  some 
of  the  Arctias  (for  example,  the  luctifera  of  Europe),  it 
cannot  with  propriety  be  included  in  the  same  genus,  and 
therefore  I  have  proposed  to  call  it  JEuchcetes  Egle;  the  first 


THE   HICKORY    TUSSOCK-MOTH.  361 

name,  signifying  fine-haired,  or  having  a  flowing  mane,  is 
given  to  it  on  account  of  the  long  tuft  of  hairs  overhanging 
the  fore  part  of  the  caterpillar  like  a  mane.  This  moth,  in 
some  of  its  characters,  approaches  to  the  Lithosians,  but 
seems,  in  others,  too  near  to  the  Arctians  to  be  removed 
from  the  latter  tribe,  and  it  is  evidently,  in  the  caterpillar 
state,  nearly  allied  to  the  following  insects,  which  are  un- 
doubtedly Arctians,  but  lead  apparently  to  the  Liparians. 
If  our  Arctians  are  grouped  in  a  circle,  with  the  larger  kinds, 
such  as  the  great  American  tiger  and  leopard  moths  in  the 
middle,  and  the  others  arranged  around  them,  then  will  these 
species,  which  are  here  described  last,  be  brought  round  to 
the  Callimorphas,  with  which  the  series  began,  and  thus  a 
natural  order  of  succession  will  be  preserved. 

During  the  months  of  August  and  September  there  may  be 
seen  on  the  hickory,  and  frequently  also  on  the  elm  and  ash, 
troops  of  caterpillars  (Plate  VI.  Fig.  1),  covered  with  short 
spreading  tufts  of  white  hairs,  with  a  row  of  eight  black  tufts 
on  the  back,  and  two  long,  slender,  black  pencils  on  the 
fourth  and  on  the  tenth  ring.  The  tufts  along  the  top  of  the 
back  converge  on  each  side,  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of  ridge  or 
crest ;  and  the  warts,  from  which  these  tufts  proceed,  are 
oblong-oval  and  transverse,  while  the  other  warts  on  the 
body  are  round.  The  hairs  on  the  fore  part  of  the  body  are 
much  longer  than  the  rest,  and  hang  over  the  head;  the 
others  are  short,  as  if  sheared  off,  and  spreading.  The  head, 
feet,  and  belly  are  black  ;  the  upper  side  of  the  body  is  white, 
sprinkled  with  black  dots,  and  with  black  transverse  lines 
between  the  rings.  These  neat  and  pretty  caterpillars,  when 
young,  feed  in  company  on  the  leaves  ;  while  not  engaged  in 
eating,  they  bend  down  the  head  and  bring  over  it  the  long 
hairs  on  the  fore  part  of  the  body ;  and,  if  disturbed  or  han- 
dled, they  readily  roll  up  like  the  other  Arctians.  When 
fully  grown,  they  are  nearly  one  inch  and  a  half  long.  They 
leave  the  trees  in  the  latter  part  of  September,  secrete  them- 
selves under  stones  and  in  the  chinks  of  walls,  and  make 
46 


362  LEPIDOPTERA. 

their  cocoons  (Plate  VI.  Fig.  2),  which  are  oval,  thin,  and 
hairy,  like  those  of  the  other  Arctians.  The  chrysalis  is 
short,  thick,  and  rather  blunt,  but  not  rounded  at  the  hinder 
end,  and  not  downy.  The  moths,  which  come  out  of  the 
cocoons  during  the  month  of  June,  are  of  a  very  light  ochre- 
yellow  color;  the  fore  wings  are  long,  rather  narrow,  and 
almost  pointed,  are  thickly  and  finely  sprinkled  with  little 
brown  dots,  and  have  two  oblique  brownish  streaks  passing 
backwards  from  the  front  edge,  with  three  rows  of  white 
semi-transparent  spots  parallel  to  the  outer  hind  margin  ;  the 
hind  wings  are  very  thin,  semi-transparent,  and  without  spots  ; 
and  the  shoulder-covers  are  edged  within  with  light  brown. 
They  expand  from  one  inch  and  seven  eighths  to  two  inches 
and  a  quarter  or  more.  The  wings  are  roofed  when  at 
rest ;  the  antennae  are  long,  with  a  double,  narrow,  feathery 
edging,  in  the  males,  and  a  double  row  of  short,  slender  teeth 
on  the  under  side,  in  the  females;  the  feelers  are  longer 
than  in  the  other  Arctians,  and  not  at  all  hairy ;  and  the 
tongue  is  short,  but  spirally  curled.  This  kind  of  moth  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  described  before,  and  it  cannot  be 
placed  in  any  of  the  modern  genera  belonging  to  the  Arcti- 
ans ;  for  this  reason  I  pro- 

11       •  T  7         ' 

pose  to  call  it  Lophocam- 
pazl  CarycB  (Fig.  175) ;  the 
first  name  meaning  crested 
caterpillar,  and  the  second 
being  the  scientific  name 
of  the  hickory,  on  which 
it  lives.  In  England,  the  moths  that  come  from  caterpillars 
having  long  pencils  and  tufts  on  their  backs  are  called  tus- 
sock-moths ;  we  may  name  the  one  under  consideration  the 
hickory  tussock-moth. 

In  August  and  September  I  have  seen  on  the  black  wal- 
nut, the  butternut,  the  ash,  and  even  on  the  oak,  caterpillars 
exactly  resembling  the  foregoing  in  shape,  but  differing  in 

[  W  Lophocampa  is  HaUadota  Walker.  —  MORRIS.] 


THE    CHECKEEED    TUSSOCK-MOTH.  363 

color,  being  covered,  when  young,  with  brownish-yellow 
tufts,  of  a  darker  color  on  the  ridge  of  the  back,  and  having 
four  long  white  and  two  black  pencils  extending  over  the 
head  from  the  second  ring,  and  two  black  pencils  on  the 
eleventh  ring ;  when  they  are  fully  grown  they  are  covered 
with  ash-colored  tufts,  those  on  the  ridge  blackish  ;  the  head 
is  black,  the  body  black  or  greenish  black  above,  and  whit- 
ish beneath,  and  the  legs  are  rust-yellow.  This  is  evidently 
a  different  species  or  kind  from  the  hickory  tussock,  being 
differently  colored,  and  having  the  two  hindmost  pencils 
placed  on  the  eleventh,  and  not  on  the  tenth  ring.  I  have 
not  yet  succeeded  in  keeping  these  caterpillars  alive  until 
they  had  finished  their  transformations. 

In  my  collection  are  specimens  of  a  moth  closely  resem- 
bling the  hickory  tussock  in  everything  except  size  and  color. 
It  may  be  named  Lophocampa  maculata,  the  spotted  tussock- 
moth.  It  is  of  a  light  ochre-yellow  color,  with  large  irregu- 
lar light  brown  spots  on  the  fore  wings,  arranged  almost 
in  transverse  bands.  It  expands  nearly  one  inch  and  three 
quarters.  The  caterpillar,  as  far  as  I  can  judge  from  a 
shrivelled  specimen,  was  covered  with  whitish  tufts  forming 
a  crest  on  the  back,  in  which  were  situated  eight  black  tufts ; 
there  was  a  black  pencil  on  each  side  of  the  fourth  and  of 
the  tenth  ring,  and  a  quantity  of  long  white  hairs  overhang- 
ing the  head  and  the  hinder  extremity  ;  the  head  was  black  ; 
but  the  color  of  the  body  cannot  be  ascertained. 

A  fourth  kind  of  Lophocampa,  or  crested  caterpillar,  re- 
mains to  be  described.  It  is  very  common,  throughout 
the  United  States,  on  the  buttonwood  or  sycamore,  upon 
which  it  may  be  seen  in  great  numbers  in  July  and  August. 
The  tufts  on  these  caterpillars  are  light  yellow  or  straw- 
colored,  the  crest  being  very  little  darker ;  on  the  second 
and  third  rings  are  two  orange-colored  pencils,  which  are 
stretched  over  the  head  when  the  insect  is  at  rest,  and 
before  these  are  several  long  tufts  of  white  hairs  ;  on  each 
side  of  the  third  ring  is  a  white  pencil,  and  there  are  two 


364  LEP1DOPTERA. 

pencils,  of  the  same  color,  directed  backwards,  on  the  elev- 
enth ring.  The  body  is  yellowish  white,  with  dusky  warts, 
and  the  head  is  brownish  yellow.  These  caterpillars  leave 
the  trees  towards  the  end  of  August,  and  conceal  themselves 
in  crevices  of  fences,  and  under  stones,  and  make  their 
cocoons,  which  resemble  those  of  the  hickory  tussock  ;  and 
from  the  middle  of  June  to  the  end  of  July  the  moths  come 
forth.  These  moths  are  faintly  tinged  with  ochre-yellow ; 
their  long,  narrow,  delicate,  and  semi-transparent  wings  lie 
almost  flatly  on  the  top  of  the  back ;  the  upper  pair  are 
checkered  with  dusky  spots,  arranged  so  as  to  form  five 
irregular  transverse  bands ;  the  hind  edge  of  the  collar,  and 
the  inner  edges  of  the  shoulder-covers,  are  greenish  blue,  and 
between  the  latter  are  two  short  and  narrow  deep  yellow 
stripes  ;  the  upper  side  of  the  abdomen  and  of  the  legs  are 
deep  ochre-yellow.  The  wings  expand  about  two  inches. 
The  name  of  this  beautiful  and  delicate  moth  is  Lophocampa 
tessellaris,  the  checkered  tussock-moth.  It  is  figured  and 
described  in  Smith  and  Abbot's  "  Insects  of  Georgia,"  where, 
however,  the  caterpillar  is  not  correctly  represented.  Mr. 
Abbot's  figure  of  the  caterpillar  has  been  copied  in  the  illus- 
trations accompanying  Cuvier's  last  edition  of  the  "  Regne 
Animal,"  and  is  there  referred  to  Latreille's  genus  Sericaria. 
This  includes,  besides  various  other  insects  having  no  re- 
semblance to  the  foregoing,  the  true  tussock  caterpillars  be- 
longing to  the  next  group  ;  but  from  these  the  caterpillars 
of  all  the  kinds  of  Lophocampa  differ  essentially,  in  being 
much  more  hairy,  in  not  having  the  warts  on  the  sides  of 
the  first  ring  longer  than  the  rest,  and  in  being  destitute 
of  the  little  retractile  vesicles  on  the  top  of  the  ninth  and 
tenth  rings  ;  moreover,  their  chrysalids  are  not  covered  with 
short  hairs  in  clusters  or  ridges.  On  the  other  hand,  they 
agree  with  the  Arctians  in  being  covered  with  warts  and 
spreading  bunches  of  hairs,  in  rolling  up  like  a  ball  when 
handled,  and  in  the  form  and  structure  of  their  cocoons. 
The  position  of  the  wings  of  the  checkered  tussock-moth, 


THE    LIPARIANS.  365 

when  at  rest,  is  almost  exactly  like  that  of  some  of  the 
Lithosians  ;  but  the  other  kinds  of  Lophocampa  do  not 
cross  the  inner  edges  of  the  wings  ;  and  the  bodies  of  all 
of  them  are  much  thicker  and  more  robust  than  those  of 
the  Lithosians. 

The  third  group  or  family  of  Bombyces  may  be  called 
Liparians  (LIPARHLE*).  Of  the  moths  bearing  this  name, 
the  females  have  remarkably  thick  bodies,  and  are  sometimes 
destitute  of  wings,  while  the  males  are  generally  slender,  and 
have  rather  broad  wings.  Their  feelers  are  very  hairy,  and 
for  the  most  part  are  rather  longer  than  those  of  the  Arctians. 
Their  tongues  are  very  short,  and  invisible  or  concealed. 
Their  antennas  are  short,  and  bent  like  a  bow,  and  doubly 
feathered  on  the  under  side,  the  feathering  of  those  of  the 
males  being  very  wide,  and  of  the  females  mostly  narrow. 
When  at  rest,  these  moths  stretch  out  their  hairy  fore  legs 
before  their  bodies,  and  keep  their  upper  and  lower  wings 
together  over  their  backs,  sloping  a  very  little  at  the  sides, 
and  covering  the  abdomen  like  a  low  or  flattened  roof.  The 
females,  even  of  those  kinds  that  are  provided  with  wings, 
are  very  sluggish  and  heavy  in  their  motions,  and  seldom 
go  far  from  their  cocoons ;  the  males  frequently  fly  by  day 
in  search  of  their  mates.  The  caterpillars  of  most  of  the 
Liparians  are  half  naked,  their  thin  hairs  growing  chiefly 
on  the  sides  of  their  bodies ;  the  warts  which  furnish  them 
being  only  six  or  eight  f  in  number  on  each  ring ;  and  they 
have  two  little  soft  and  reddish  warts  (one  on  the  top  of  the 
ninth,  and  the  other  on  the  tenth  ring),  which  can  be  drawn 
in  and  out  at  pleasure.  Some  of  them  have  four  or  five 
short  and  thick  tufts,  cut  off  square  at  the  ends,  on  the  top 
of  the  back,  two  long  and  slender  pencils  of  hairs  extending 
forwards,  like  antennas,  from  the  first  ring,  sometimes  two 

*  From  Liparis,  more  properly  Liparus,  the  name  of  a  genus  of  moths  belong- 
ing to  this  group.  This  name  means  fat  or  gross,  and  was  probably  assigned  to 
the  genus  on  account  of  the  thickness  of  the  bodies  of  some  of  these  moths. 

t  The  Arctians  have  ten  or  more  warts  on  each  ring. 


366  LEPIDOPTERA. 

more  pencils  on  the  fifth  ring,  and  a  single  pencil  on  the 
top  of  the  eleventh  ring.  The  warts  which  produce  these 
pencils  are  more  prominent  or  longer  than  the  rest.  These 
caterpillars  are  called  tussocks  in  England,  from  the  tufts 
on  their  backs.  They  live  upon  trees  and  shrubs,  and, 
when  at  rest,  they  bend  down  the  head,  and  bring  over  it 
the  long  plume-like  pencils  of  the  first  ring.  Their  cocoons 
are  large,  thin,  and  flattened,  and  consist  of  a  soft  kind  of 
silk,  intermixed  with  which  are  a  few  hairs.  The  chrysalids 
are  covered  with  down  or  short  hairs,  and  end  at  the  tail 
with  a  long  projecting  point.  In  Europe  there  are  many 
kinds  of  Liparians,  some  of  them  at  times  exceedingly  injuri- 
ous to  vegetation,  their  caterpillars  devouring  the  leaves  of 
fruit-trees,  and  not  unfrequently  extending  their  devastations 
to  the  hedges,  and  even  to  the  corn  and  grass.*  There  do 
not  appear  to  be  many  kinds  in  the  United  States,  and  they 
never  swarm  to  the  same  extent  as  in  Europe. 

During  the  months  of  July  and  August,  there  may  be 
found  on  apple-trees  and  rose-bushes,  and  sometimes  on 
other  trees  and  shrubs,  little  slender  caterpillars  (Plate  VII. 
Fig.  1),  of  a  bright  yellow  color,  sparingly  clothed  with 
long  and  fine  yellow  hairs  on  the  sides  of  the  body,  and 
having  four  short  and  thick  brush-like  yellowish  tufts  on  the 
back,  that  is  on  the  fourth  and  three  following  rings,  two 
long  black  plumes  or  pencils  extending  forwards  from  the 
first  ring,  and  a  single  plume  on  the  top  of  the  eleventh  ring. 
The  head,  and  the  two  little  retractile  warts  on  the  ninth 
and  tenth  rings,  are  coral-red ;  there  is  a  narrow  black  or 
brownish  stripe  along  the  top  of  the  back,  and  a  wider 
dusky  stripe  on  each  side  of  the  body.  These  pretty  cater- 
pillars do  not  ordinarily  herd  together,  but  sometimes  our 

*  These  destructive  kinds  are  the  caterpillars  of  the  brown-tailed  moth  (Por- 
thetia  auriflua),  of  the  golden-tailed  moth  (P&rthesia  chrysorrhcea),  of  the  gypsy- 
moth  (Uypoffymnaditpar),  and  of  the  black  arches-moth  (Psilura  monacha).  The 
first  of  these  abounded  to  such  an  extent  in  England,  in  the  year  1782,  that 
prayers  were  ordered  to  be  read  in  all  the  churches,  to  avert  the  destruction 
which  was  anticipated  from  them. 


THE    WHITE-MARKED    ORGYIA.  367 

apple-trees  are  much  infested  by  them,  as  was  the  case  in 
the  summer  of  1828.  In  the  summers  of  1848,  1849,  and 
1850,  they  were  very  numerous  on  trees  in  Boston,  both  in 
private  yards  and  on  the  common,  where  the  horse-chestnuts, 
which  seem  ordinarily  to  escape  the  attacks  of  insects,  were 
almost  entirely  stripped  of  their  leaves  by  these  insects. 
When  they  have  done  eating,  they  spin  their  cocoons  on  the 
leaves,  or  on  the  branches  or  trunks  of  the  trees,  or  on  fences 
in  the  vicinity.  The  chrysalis  is  not  only  beset  with  little 
hairs  or  down,  but  has  three  oval  clusters  of  branny  scales 
on  the  back.  In  about  eleven  days  after  the  change  to  the 
chrysalis  is  effected,  the  last  transformation  follows,  and  the 
insects  come  forth  in  the  adult  state,  the  females  wingless, 
and  the  males  with  large  ashen-gray  wings,  crossed  by  wavy 
darker  bands  on  the  upper  pair,  on  which,  moreover,  is  a 
small  black  spot  near  the  tip,  and  a  minute  white  crescent 
near  the  outer  hind  angle.  The  body  of  the  male  is  small 
and  slender,  with  a  row  of  little  tufts  along  the  back,  and 
the  wings  expand  one  inch  and  three  eighths.  The  females 
(Plate  VII.  Figs.  2  and  3)  are  of  a  lighter  gray  color  than 
the  males,  their  bodies  are  very  thick,  and  of  an  oblong  oval 
shape,  and,  though  seemingly  wingless,  upon  close  examina- 
tion two  little  scales,  or  stinted  winglets,  can  be  discovered 
on  each  shoulder.  These  females  lay  their  eggs  upon  the 
top  of  their  cocoons  (Plate  VII.  Fig.  5),  and  cover  them 
with  a  large  quantity  of  frothy  matter,  which  on  drying 
becomes  white  and  brittle.  Different  broods  of  these  insects 
appear  at  various  times  in  the  course  of  the  summer,  but 
the  greater  number  come  to  maturity  and  lay  their  eggs  in 
the  latter  part  of  August  and  the  beginning  of  September, 
and  these  eggs  are  not  hatched  till  the  following  summer. 
The  name  of  this  moth  is  Orgyia  *  leucostigma  (Plate  VII. 

*  This  name  is  derived  from  a  word  which  signifies  to  stretch  out  the  hands, 
and  it  is  applied  to  this  kind  of  moth  on  account  of  its  resting  with  the  fore  legs 
extended.  The  Germans  call  these  moths  streckfiissige  Spinner ;  the  French,  patles 
etendues;  and  the  English,  vaporer-moths;  the  latter  probably  because  the  males 
are  seen  flying  about  ostentatiously,  or  vaporing,  by  day,  when  most  other  moths 
keep  concealed. 


368  LEPIDOPTERA. 

Fig.  4,  male),  the  white-marked  Orgyia  or  tussock-moth. 
It  is  to  the  eggs  of  this  insect  that  the  late  Mr.  B.  H.  Ives, 
of  Salem,  alludes,  in  an  article  on  "insects  which  infest 
trees  and  plants,"  published  in  Hovey's  "  Gardener's  Maga- 
zine." *  Mr.  Ives  states,  that,  on  passing  through  an  apple 
orchard  in  February,  he  "perceived  nearly  all  the  trees 
speckled  with  occasional  dead  leaves,  adhering  so  firmly  to 
the  branches  as  to  require  considerable  force  to  dislodge 
them.  Each  leaf  covered  a  small  patch  of  from  one  to  two 
hundred  eggs,  united  together,  as  well  as  to"the  leaf,  by  a 
gummy  and  silken  fibre,  peculiar  to  the  moth."  In  March, 
he  "  visited  the  same  orchard,  and,  as  an  experiment,  cleared 
three  trees,  from  which  he  took  twenty-one  bunches  of  eggs. 
The  remainder  of  the  trees  he  left  untouched  until  the  10th 
of  May,  when  he  found  the  caterpillars  were  hatched  from 
the  egg,  and  had  commenced  their  slow  but  sure  ravages. 
He  watched  them  from  time  to  time,  until  many  branches 
had  been  spoiled  of  their  leaves,  and  in  the  autumn  were 
entirely  destitute  of  fruit,  while  the  three  trees  which  had 
been  stripped  of  the  eggs  were  flush  with  foliage,  each  limb, 
without  exception,  ripening  its  fruit."  These  pertinent  re- 
marks point  out  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  evil,  and  sug- 
gest the  proper  remedy  to  be  used  against  the  ravages  of 
these  insects. 

In  the  New  England  States  there  is  found  a  tussock  or 
vaporer  moth,  seemingly  the  same  as  the  Orgyia  antiqua,  the 
antique  or  rusty  vaporer-moth  of  Europe,  from  whence  possi- 
bly its  eggs  may  have  been  brought  with  imported  fruit-trees. 
The  male  moth  is  of  a  rust-brown  color,  the  fore  wings  are 
crossed  by  two  deeper  brown  wavy  streaks,  and  have  a  white 
crescent  near  the  hind  angle.  They  expand  about  one  inch 
and  one  eighth.  The  female  is  gray,  and  wingless,  or  with 
only  two  minute  scales  on  each  side  in  the  place  of  wings, 
and  exactly  resembles  in  shape  the  female  of  the  foregoing 
species.  The  caterpillar  is  yellow  on  the  back,  on  which 

*  Vol.  I.  p.  52. 


THE    LASIOCAMPIANS.  369 

are  four  short  square  brush-like  yellow  tufts ;  the  sides  are 
dusky  and  spotted  with  red ;  there  are  two  long  black  pencils 
or  plumes  on  the  first  ring,  one  on  each  side  of  the  fifth  ring, 
and  one  on  the  top  of  the  eleventh  ring ;  the  head  is  black ; 
and  the  retractile  warts  on  the  top  of  the  ninth  and  tenth 
rings  are  red.  These  caterpillars  live  on  various  trees  and 
shrubs,  and  are  stated  by  Miss  Dix,  in  Professor  Silliman's 
"  Journal  of  Science,"  *  to  have  been  "  very  destructive  to 
the  thorn  hedges  in  Rhode  Island,"  "  appearing  very  early 
in  summer,  and  not  disappearing  till  late  in  November." 
The  cocoons  resemble  those  of  the  white-marked  vaporer 
(  Orgyia  leucostigmci),  and  the  females,  after  they  have  come 
forth,  never  leave  the  outside  of  their  cocoons,  but  lay  their 
eggs  upon  them  and  die  there. 

The  next  group  may  be  called  Lasiocampians  (LASIOCAM- 
PAD.E),  after  the  principal  genus  f  included  in  it,  the  name 
of  which  signifies  haiiy  caterpillar.  The  Lasiocampians  are 
woolly  and  very  thick-bodied  moths,  distinguished  by  the 
want  of  the  bristles  and  hooks  that  hold  together  the  fore 
and  hind  wings  of  other  moths,  by  the  wide  and  turned-up 
fore  edge  of  the  hind  wings,  which  projects  beyond  that  of 
the  fore  wings  when  at  rest,  and  by  their  caterpillars,  which 
(with  few  exceptions)  are  not  warty  on  the  back,  and  are 
sparingly  clothed  with  short,  soft  hairs,  mostly  placed  along 
the  sides  of  the  body,  and  seldom  distinctly  arranged  in 
spreading  clusters  or  tufts.  These  moths  fly  only  by  night, 
and  both  sexes  are  winged.  Their  antennae  generally  bend 
downwards  near  the  middle,  and  upwards  at  the  points,  are 
longer  than  those  of  the  Liparians,  but  not  so  widely  feath- 
ered in  the  males,  and  very  narrowly  feathered  beneath  in 
the  females.  The  feelers  of  some  are  rather  longer  than 
common,  and  are  thrust  forward  like  a  beak ;  but  more 


*  Vol.  XIX.  p.  62. 

t  To  Lasiocampa  belong  the  European  moths  called  Rubi,  Trifolii,  Qitercus, 
Roboris,  Dumeti,  &c.    I  have  not  seen  any  insects  like  these  in  Massachusetts, 
and  believe  that  such  are  seldom  if  ever  to  be  found  in  the  United  States. 
47 


370  LEPIDOPTERA. 

often  they  are  very  short  and  small.  The  tongue,  for  the 
most  part,  is  invisible.  Their  wings  cover  the  back  like  a 
steep  roof ;  the  under  pair,  being  wider  than  common,  are 
not  entirely  covered  by  the  upper  wings,  but  project  beyond 
them  at  the  sides  of  the  body  when  closed.  Their  cater- 
pillars live  on  trees  and  shrubs,  and  some  kinds  herd  together 
in  considerable  numbers  or  swarms  ;  they  make  their  cocoons 
mostly  or  entirely  of  silk.  The  winged  insect  is  assisted 
in  its  attempts  to  come  forth,  after  its  last  change,  by  a 
reddish-colored  liquid,  which  softens  the  end  of  its  cocoon, 
and  which,  as  some  say,  is  discharged  from  its  own  mouth, 
or,  as  others  with  greater  probability  assert,  escapes  from 
the  inside  of  the  chrysalis  the  moment  that  the  included 
moth  bursts  the  shell. 

To  this  group  belong  the  caterpillars  that  swarm  in  the 
unpruned  nurseries  and  neglected  orchards  of  the  slovenly 
and  improvident  husbandman,  and  hang  their  many-coated 
webs  upon  the  wild  cherry-trees  that  are  suffered  to  spring 
up  unchecked  by  the  wayside  and  encroach  upon  the  borders 
of  our  pastures  and  fields.  The  eggs,  from  which  they  are 
hatched,  are  placed  around  the  ends  of  the  branches,  forming 
a  wide  kind  of  ring  or  bracelet,  consisting  of  three  or  four 
hundred  eggs,  in  the  form  of  short  cylinders  standing  on 
their  ends  close  together,  and  covered  with  a  thick  coat  of 
brownish  water-proof  varnish  (Plate  VII.  Fig.  16).*  The 
caterpillars  come  forth  with  the  unfolding  of  the  leaves  of 
the  apple  and  cherry  tree,  during  the  latter  part  of  April 
or  the  beginning  of  May.  The  first  signs  of  their  activity 
appear  in  the  formation  of  a  little  angular  web  or  tent,  some- 
what resembling  a  spider's  web,  stretched  between  the  forks 
of  the  branches  a  little  below  the  cluster  of  eggs.  Under  the 
shelter  of  these  tents,  in  making  which  they  all  work  togeth- 
er, the  caterpillars  remain  concealed  at  all  times  when  not 
engaged  in  eating.  In  crawling  from  twig  to  twig  and  from 

•  A  good  figure  of  a  cluster  of  these  eggs  may  be  seen  in  the  Boston  Cultiva- 
tor, Vol.  X.  No.  10,  for  March  4, 1848. 


THE    AMERICAN    LACKEY-CATERPILLAR.         371 

leaf  to  leaf,  they  spin  from  their  mouths  a  slender  silken 
thread,  which  is  a  clew  to  conduct  them  back  to  their  tents  ; 
and  as  they  go  forth  and  return  in  files,  one  after  another, 
their  pathways  in  time  become  well  carpeted  with  silk,  which 
serves  to  render  their  footing  secure  during  their  frequent 
and  periodical  journeys,  in  various  directions,  to  and  from 
their  common  habitation.  As  they  increase  in  age  and  size, 
they  enlarge  their  tent,  surrounding  it,  from  time  to  time, 
with  new  layers  or  webs,  till  at  length  it  acquires  a  diam- 
eter of  eight  or  ten  inches.  They  come  out  together  at 
certain  stated  hours  to  eat,  and  all  retire  at  once  when  their 
regular  meals  are  finished ;  during  bad  weather,  however, 
they  fast,  and  do  not  venture  from  their  shelter.  These 
caterpillars  (Plate  VII.  Fig.  13)  are  of  a  kind  called  lackeys 
in  England,  and  livrees  in  France,  from  the  party-colored 
livery  in  which  they  appear.  When  fully  grown,  they 
measure  about  two  inches  in  length.  Their  heads  are  black ; 
extending  along  the  top  of  the  back,  from  one  end  to  the 
other,  is  a  whitish  line,  on  each  side  of  which,  en  a  yellow 
ground,  are  numerous  short  and  fine  crinkled  black  lines, 
that,  lower  down,  become  mingled  together,  and  form  a 
broad  longitudinal  black  stripe,  or  rather  a  row  of  long  black 
spots,  one  on  each  ring,  in  the  middle  of  each  of  which  is  a 
small  blue  spot ;  below  this  is  a  narrow  wavy  yellow  line, 
and  lower  still  the  sides  are  variegated  with  fine  intermingled 
black  and  yellow  lines,  which  are  lost  at  last  in  the  general 
dusky  color  of  the  under  side  of  the  body ;  on  the  top  of 
the  eleventh  ring  is  a  small  blackish  and  hairy  wart,  and 
the  whole  body  is  very  sparingly  clothed  with  short  and 
soft  hairs,  rather  thicker  and  longer  upon  the  sides  than 
elsewhere.  The  foregoing  description  will  serve  to  show 
that  these  insects  are  not  the  same  as  either  the  Neustria  * 


*  Neustria  was  the  ancient  name  of  Normandy,  from  whence  this  European 
species  was  first  introduced  into  England.  The  Neustria  caterpillar  has  a  bluish 
head,  on  which,  as  also  on  the  first  ring,  are  two  black  dots;  the  back  is  tawny- 
red,  with  a  central  white  and  two  black  lines  from  one  end  to  the  other ;  the  sides 


372  LEPIDOPTEBA. 

or  the  camp  *  lackey-caterpillars  of  Europe,  for  which  they 
have  been  mistaken.  From  the  first  to  the  middle  of  June 
they  begin  to  leave  the  trees  upon  which  they  have  hitherto 
lived  in  company,  separate  from  each  other,  wander  about 
awhile,  and  finally  get  into  some  crevice  or  other  place  of 
shelter,  and  make  their  cocoons  (Plate  VII.  Fig.  15). 
These  are  of  a  regular  long  oval  form,  composed  of  a  thin 
and  very  loosely  woven  web  of  silk,  the  meshes  of  which 
are  filled  with  a  thin  paste,  that  on  drying  is  changed  to  a 
yellow  powder,  like  flour  of  sulphur  in  appearance.  Some 
of  the  caterpillars,  either  from  weakness  or  some  other 
cause,  do  not  leave  their  nests  with  the  rest  of  the  swarm, 
but  make  their  cocoons  there,  and  when  the  webs  are  opened 
these  cocoons  may  be  seen  intermixed  with  a  mass  of 
blackish  grains,  like  gunpowder,  excreted  by  the  caterpillars 
during  their  stay.  From  fourteen  to  seventeen  days  after 
the  insect  has  made  its  cocoon  and  changed  to  a  chrysalis, 
it  bursts  its  chrysalis-skin,  forces  its  way  through  the  wet 
and  softened  end  of  its  cocoon,  and  appears  in  the  winged 
or  miller  form.  Many  of  them,  however,  are  unable  to  fin- 
ish their  transformations  by  reason  of  weakness,  especially 
those  remaining  in  the  webs.  Most  of  these  will  be  found 
to  have  been  preyed  upon  by  little  maggots  living  upon  the 
fat  within  their  bodies,  and  finally  changing  to  small  four- 
winged  ichneumon  wasps,  which  in  due  time  pierce  a  hole 
in  the  cocoons  of  their  victims,  and  escape  into  the  air. 

The  moth  (Plate  VII.  Fig.  14  male,  Fig.  17  female) 
of  our  American  lackey-caterpillar  is  of  a  rusty  or  reddish- 
brown  color,  more  or  less  mingled  with  gray  on  the  middle 
and  base  of  the  fore  wings,  which,  besides,  are  crossed  by 

are  blue,  with  a  narrow  red  stripe;  on  the  top  of  the  eleventh  ring  is  a  little 
blackish  wart;  and  the  belly  is  dusky. 

•  The  cattrensit,  or  camp-caterpillar,  has  a  narrow  broken  white  line  on  the 
top  of  the  back,  separating  two  broad  red  stripes,  which  are  dotted  with  black; 
the  sides  are  blue,  with  two  or  three  narrow  red  stripes;  the  head  and  first  ring 
are  not  marked  with  black  dots;  there  is  no  wart  on  the  top  of  the  eleventh  ring; 
and  the  belly  is  white,  marbled  with  black. 


THE    AMERICAN    LACKEY-CATERPILLAR.          373 

two  oblique,  straight,  dirty  white  lines.  It  expands  from 
one  inch  and  a  quarter  to  one  inch  and  a  half,  or  a  little 
more.  This  moth*  closely  resembles  the  castrensis,  and 
still  more  the  Neustria  of  Europe,  from  both  of  which, 
however,  it  is  easily  distinguished  by  the  oblique  lines  on 
the  fore  wings,  which  are  not  wavy  as  in  the  foreign  spe- 
cies. Moreover,  the  caterpillar  is  very  different  from  both 
of  the  European  lackeys  ;  and  it  does  not  seem  probable  that 
either  of  them,  if  introduced  into  this  country,  could  have 
so  wholly  lost  their  original  characters.  Our  insect  belongs 
to  the  same  genus,  or  kind,  now  called  Clisiocampa,  or 
tent-caterpillar,  from  its  habits  ;  and  I  propose  to  distin- 
guish it  furthermore  from  its  near  allies  by  the  name  of 
Americana,  the  American  tent-caterpillar  or  lackey.  The 
moths  appear  in  great  numbers  in  July,  flying  about  and 
often  entering  houses  by  night.  At  this  time  they  lay  their 
eggs,  selecting  the  wild  cherry,  in  preference  to  all  other 
trees,  for  this  purpose,  and,  next  to  these,  apple-trees,  the 
extensive  introduction  and  great  increase  of  which,  in  this 
country,  afford  an  abundant  and  tempting  supply  of  food 
to  the  caterpillars,  in  the  place  of  the  native  cherry-trees 
that  formerly,  it  would  seem,  sufficed  for  their  nourishment. 
These  insects,  because  they  are  the  most  common  and  most 
abundant  in  all  parts  of  our  country,  and  have  obtained 
such  notoriety  that  in  common  language  they  are  almost 
exclusively  known  among  us  by  the  name  of  the  caterpil- 
lars, are  the  worst  enemies  of  the  orchard.  Where  proper 
attention  has  not  been  paid  to  the  destruction  of  them,  they 
prevail  to  such  an  extent  as  almost  entirely  to  strip  the 
apple  and  cherry  trees  of  their  foliage,  by  their  attacks 

*  A  short  but  very  accurate  account  of  this  insect  may  be  found  in  the  late 
Professor  Peck's  "  Natural  History  of  the  Canker- Worm,"  printed  at  Boston, 
among  the  papers  of  the  Massachusetts  Society  for  promoting  Agriculture,  in 
the  year  1796.  Professor  Peck  seems  to  have  been  aware  that  it  was  not  identical 
with  the  Neustria,  but  he  forbore  to  give  it  another  scientific  name.  It  is  figured, 
in  its  different  forms,  in  Mr.  Abbot's  "  Natural  History  of  the  Insects  of  Georgia," 
where  it  is  named  castrensis  by  Sir  J.  E.  Smith,  the  editor  of  the  work. 


374  LEPIDOPTERA. 

continued  during  the  seven  weeks  of  their  life  in  the  cater- 
pillar form.  The  trees,  in  those  orchards  and  gardens  where 
they  have  been  suffered  to  breed  for  a  succession  of  years, 
become  prematurely  old,  in  consequence  of  the  efforts  they 
are  obliged  to  make  to  repair,  at  an  unseasonable  time,  the 
loss  of  their  foliage,  and  are  rendered  unfruitful,  and  con- 
sequently unprofitable.  But  this  is  not  all ;  these  pernicious 
insects  spread  in  every  direction,  from  the  trees  of  the  care- 
less and  indolent  to  those  of  their  more  careful  and  indus- 
trious neighbors,  whose  labors  are  thereby  greatly  increased, 
and  have  to  be  followed  up  year  after  year,  without  any 
prospect  of  permanent  relief. 

Many  methods  and  receipts  for  the  destruction  of  these 
insects  have  been  published  and  recommended,  but  have 
failed  to  exterminate  them,  and  indeed  have  done  but  little 
to  lessen  their  numbers,  as,  indeed,  might  be  expected  from 
the  tenor  of  the  foregoing  remarks.  In  order  to  be  com- 
pletely successful,  they  must  be  universally  adopted.  These 
means  comprehend  both  the  destruction  of  the  eggs  and  of 
the  caterpillars.  The  eggs  are  to  be  sought  for  in  the  win- 
ter and  the  early  part  of  spring,  when  there  are  no  leaves 
on  the  trees.  They  are  easily  discovered  at  this  time,  and 
may  be  removed  with  the  thumb-nail  and  forefinger.  Nur- 
series and  the  lower  limbs  of  large  trees  may  thus  be  entirely 
cleared  of  the  clusters  of  eggs  during  a  few  visits  made  at 
the  proper  season.  It  is  well  known  that  the  caterpillars 
come  out  to  feed  twice  during  the  daytime,  namely,  in  the 
forenoon  and  afternoon,  and  that  they  rarely  leave  their  nests 
before  nine  in  the  morning,  and  return  to  them  again  at 
noon.  During  the  early  part  of  the  season,  while  the  nests 
are  small,  and  the  caterpillars  young  and  tender,  and  at 
those  hours  when  the  insects  are  gathered  together  within 
their  common  habitation,  they  may  be  effectually  destroyed 
by  crushing  them  by  hand  in  the  nests.  A  brush,  somewhat 
like  a  bottle-brush,  fixed  to  a  long  handle,  as  recommended 
by  the  late  Colonel  Pickering,  or,  for  the  want  thereof,  a 


THE    TENT-CATERPILLAR.  375 

dried  mullein  head  and  its  stalk  fastened  to  a  pole,  will  be 
useful  to  remove  the  nests,  with  the  caterpillers  contained 
therein,  from  those  branches  which  are  too  high  to  be  reached 
by  hand.  Instead  of  the  brush,  we  may  use,  with  nearly 
equal  success,  a  small  mop  or  sponge,  dipped  as  often  as 
necessary  into  a  pailful  of  refuse  soapsuds,  strong  whitewash, 
or  cheap  oil.  The  mop  should  be  thrust  into  the  nest  and 
turned  round  a  little,  so  as  to  wet  the  caterpillars  with  the 
liquid,  which  will  kill  every  one  that  it  touches.  These 
means,  to  be  effectual,  should  be  employed  during  the  proper 
hours,  that  is,  early  in  the  morning,  at  midday,  or  at  night, 
and  as  soon  in  the  spring  as  the  caterpillars  begin  to  make 
their  nests ;  and  they  should  be  repeated  as  often,  at  least, 
as  once  a  week,  till  the  insects  leave  the  trees.  Early 
attention  and  perseverance  in  the  use  of  these  remedies  will, 
in  time,  save  the  farmer  hundreds  of  dollars,  and  abundance 
of  mortification  and  disappointment,  besides  rewarding  him 
with  the  grateful  sight  of  the  verdant  foliage,  snowy  blos- 
soms, and  rich  fruits  of  his  orchard  in  their  proper  seasons. 

Another  caterpillar,  whose  habits  are  similar  to  those  of 
the  preceding,  is  now  and  then  met  with  in  Massachusetts, 
upon  oak  and  walnut  trees,  and  more  rarely  still  upon  apple- 
trees  and  cherry-trees.  According  to  Mr.  Abbot,  "it  is 
sometimes  so  plentiful  in  Virginia  as  to  strip  the  oak-trees 
bare  "  ;  and  I  may  add,  that  it  occasionally  proves  very  in- 
jurious to  orchards  in  Maine.  It  may  be  called  Clisiocampa 
silvatica,  the  tent-caterpillar  of  the  forest  (Plate  VII.  Fig. 
19).  With  us  it  comes  to  its  full  size  from  the  10th  to 
the  20th  of  June,  and  then  measures  about  two  inches  in 
length.  There  are  a  few  short  yellow  hairs  scattered  over 
its  body,  particularly  on  the  sides,  where  they  are  thickest. 
The  general  color  of  the  whole  body  is  light  blue,  clear  on 
the  back,  and  greenish  at  the  sides ;  the  head  is  blue,  and 
without  spots ;  there  are  two  yellow  spots,  and  four  black 
dots  on  the  top  of  the  first  ring ;  along  the  top  of  the  back 
is  a  row  of  eleven  oval  white  spots,  beginning  on  the  second 


376  LEPIDOPTERA. 


,  and  two  small  elevated  black  and  hairy  dots  on  each 
ring,  except  the  eleventh,  which  has  only  one  of  larger  size  ; 
on  each  side  of  the  back  is  a  reddish  stripe  bordered  by 
slender  black  lines  ;  and  lower  down  on  each  side  is  another 
stripe  of  a  yellow  color  between  two  black  lines  ;  the  under 
side  of  the  body  is  blue-black.  This  kind  of  caterpillar  lives 
in  communities  of  three  or  four  hundred  individuals,  under 
a  common  web  or  tent,  which  is  made  against  the  trunk  or 
beneath  some  of  the  principal  branches  of  the  trees.  When 
fully  grown  they  leave  the  trees,  get  into  places  sheltered 
from  rain,  and  make  their  cocoons,  which  exactly  resemble 
those  of  the  apple-tree  tent-caterpillars  in  form,  size,  and 
materials.  The  moths  (Plate  VII.  Fig.  18)  appear  in  six- 
teen or  twenty  days  afterwards.  They  are  of  a  brownish 
yellow  or  nankin  color  ;  the  hind  wings,  except  at  base,  are 
light  rusty-brown  ;  and  on  the  fore  wings  are  two  oblique 
rust-brown  and  nearly  straight  parallel  lines.  A  variety  is 
sometimes  found  with  a  broad  red-brown  band  across  the  fore 
wings,  occupying  the  whole  space  which  in  other  individ- 
uals intervenes  between  the  oblique  lines.  The  wings  ex- 
pand from  one  inch  and  one  quarter  to  one  inch  and  three 
quarters.  The  great  difference  in  the  caterpillar  will  not 
permit  us  to  refer  this  species  to  the  Nemtria  of  Europe,  for 
which  Sir  J.  E.  Smith*  mistook  it,  or  to  the  castrensis, 
which  it  more  closely  resembles  in  its  winged  form. 

Most  caterpillars  are  round,  that  is,  cylindrical,  or  nearly 
so  ;  but  there  are  some  belonging  to  this  group  that  are  very 
broad,  slightly  convex  above,  and  perfectly  flat  beneath. 
They  seem  indeed  to  be  much  broader  and  more  flattened 
than  they  really  are,  by  reason  of  the  hairs  on  their  sides, 
which  spread  out  so  as  nearly  to  conceal  the  feet,  and  form 
a  kind  of  fringe  along  each  side  of  the  body.  These  hairs 
grow  mostly  from  horizontal  fleshy  appendages  or  long  warts, 
somewhat  like  legs,  hanging  from  the  sides  of  every  ring  ; 
those  on  the  first  ring  being  much  longer  than  the  others, 
*  See  Abbot's  "  Insects  of  Georgia,"  where  it  is  figured. 


Donga!   ac 


THE  AMERICAN  LAPPET-MOTH.  377 

which  progressively  decrease  in  size  to  the  last.  On  the 
ore  part  of  the  body  one  or  two  velvet-like  and  highly  col- 
ored bands  may  be  seen  when  the  caterpillar  is  in  motion ; 
and  on  the  top  of  the  eleventh  ring  there  is  generally  a  long 
naked  wart.  When  these  singular  caterpillars  are  not  eat- 
ing, they  remain  at  rest,  stretched  out  on  the  limbs  of  trees, 
and  they  often  so  nearly  resemble  the  bark  in  color  as  to 
escape  observation.  From  the  lappets,  or  leg-like  appen- 
dages, hanging  to  their  sides,  they  are  called  lappet-caterpil- 
lars by  English  writers. 

Twice  I  have  found,  on  the  apple-tree,  in  the  month  of 
September,  caterpillars  of  this  kind,  measuring,  when  fully 
grown,  two  inches  and  a  half  in  length,  and  above  half  an 
inch  in  breadth.  The  upper  side  was  gray,  variegated  with 
irregular  white  spots,  and  sprinkled  all  over  with  fine  black 
dots  ;  on  the  fore  part  of  the  body  there  were  two  transverse 
velvet-like  bands  of  a  rich  scarlet  color,  one  on  the  hind  part 
of  the  second,  and  the  other  on  the  third  ring,  and  on  each 
of  these  bands  were  three  black  dots  ;  the  under  side  of  the 
body  was  orange-colored,  with  a  row  of  diamond-shaped 
black  spots ;  the  hairs  on  the  sides  were  gray,  and  many  of 
them  were  tipped  with  a  white  knob.  The  caterpillar  eats 
the  leaves  of  the  apple-tree,  feeding  only  in  the  night,  and 
remaining  perfectly  quiet  during  the  day.  The  moth  pro- 
duced from  it  was  supposed  by  Sir  J.  E.  Smith  *  to  be  the 
same  as  the  European  Ilfoifolia, 
or  holly-leaved  lappet-moth,  from 
which,  however,  it  differs  in  so 
many  respects  that  I  shall  ven- 
ture to  give  it  another  name.  It 
belongs  to  the  genus  Crastropa- 
cAa,22  so  called  from  the  very 
thick  bodies  of  the  moths  ;  and  the  present  species  may  be 
named  Americana,  the  American  lappet-moth  (Fig.  176). 

*  See  Abbot's  "  Insects  of  Georgia,"  p.  101,  pi.  51. 
[  22  Gastropacha  Americana  is  G.  occidentalis  Walker.  —  MOERIS.] 
48 


LEPIDOPTERA. 


Were  it  not  for  its  regular  shape,  it  might,  when  at  rest, 
very  easily  be  mistaken  for  a  dry,  brown,  and  crumpled 
leaf.  The  feelers  are  somewhat  prominent,  like  a  short 
beak  ;  the  edges  of  the  under  wings  are  very  much  notched, 
as  are  the  hinder  and  inner  edges  of  the  fore  wings,  and 
these  notches  are  white  ;  its  general  color  is  a  red-brown  ; 
behind  the  middle  of  each  of  the  wings  is  a  pale  band, 
edged  with  zigzag  dark  brown  lines,  and  there  are  also  two 
or  three  short  irregular  brown  lines  running  backwards  from 
the  front  edge  of  the  fore  wings,  besides  a  minute  pale  cres- 
cent, edged  with  dark  brown,  near  the  middle  of  the  same. 
In  the  females  the  pale  bands  and  dark  lines  are  sometimes 
wanting,  the  wings  being  almost  entirely  of  a  red-brown 
color.  It  expands  from  one  inch  and  a  half  to  nearly  two 
inches.  Mr.  Abbot,  who  has  figured  it,  states  that  the 
caterpillar  lives  on  the  oak  and  the  ash,  that  it  spun  itself 
up  in  May  among  the  leaves  in  a  gray-brown  cocoon,  in 
which  the  chrysalis  was  enveloped  with  a  pale  brown  pow- 
der, and  that  the  moth  came  out  in  February.  My  speci- 
mens, on  the  contrary,  as  above  stated,  were  found  on 
apple-trees,  made  their  cocoons  in  the  autumn,  and  ap- 
peared in  the  winged  form  in  the  early  part  of  the  following 
summer. 

The  foregoing  is   the  only  American  lappet-moth,   with 

notched  wings,  which 
•  is  known  to  me  ;  but 
we  have  another  much 
larger  one,  with  en- 
tire wings.  It  is  the 
Velleda  (Fig.  177)  of 
Stoll,  so  named  after 
a  celebrated  German 
female,  commemorated  by  the  ancient  historian  Tacitus. 
This  moth  has  a  very  large,  thick,  and  woolly  body,  and 
is  of  a  white  color,  variegated  or  clouded  with  blue-gray. 
On  the  fore  wings  are  two  broad  dark  tjray  bands,  inter- 


Fig  1T7. 


THE    VELLEDA    LAPPET-MOTH.  379 

vening  between  three  narrow  wavy  white  bands,  the  latter 
being  marked  by  an  irregular  gray  line ;  the  veins  are 
white,  prominent,  and  very  distinct ;  the  hind  wings  are 
gray,  with  a  white  hind  border,  on  which  are  two  inter- 
rupted gray  lines,  and  across  the  middle  there  is  a  broad, 
faint,  whitish  band  ;  on  the  top  of  the  thorax  is  an  oblong 
blackish  spot,  widening  behind,  and  consisting  of  long  black 
and  pearl-colored  erect  scales,  shaped  somewhat  like  the 
handle  of  a  spoon.  There  is  a  great  disparity  in  the  size 
of  the  sexes,  the  males  measuring  only  from  one  inch  and 
a  half  to  one  inch  and  three  quarters  across  the  wings, 
while  the  females  expand  from  two  and  a  quarter  to  two 
inches  and  three  quarters  or  more. 
The  caterpillar  (Fig.  178,  young  Fig>  178' 

caterpillar)  of  this  fine  moth  I 
have  never  seen  alive ;  but  one 
was  sent  to  me,  in  the  autumn 
of  1828,  by  the  late  T.  G.  Fes- 
senden,  Esq.,  who  received  it  from  Newburyport,  from  a 
correspondent,  by  whom  it  was  found  on  the  5th  of  August, 
sticking  so  fast  to  the  limb  of  an  apple-tree,  that  at  first 
it  was  mistaken  for  a  cankered  spot  on  the  bark.*  It  was 
said  to  have  measured  two  inches  and  a  half  in  length,  but 
when  it  came  into  my  hands  it  had  spun  itself  up  in  its 
cocoon.  A  caterpillar  of  the  same  kind,  found  also  on  an 
apple-tree,  has  been  described  by  Miss  Dix  in  Professor 
Silliman's  "  Journal  of  Science."  f  This  observing  lady 
states,  that  "  when  at  rest  the  resemblance  of  its  upper  sur- 
face was  so  exact  with  the  young  bark  of  the  branch  on 
which  it  was  fixed,  that  its  presence  might  have  escaped 
the  most  accurate  investigation ;  and  this  deception  was  the 
more  complete  from  the  unusual  shape  of  the  caterpillar, 
which  might  be  likened  to  the  external  third  of  a  cylinder. 
The  sides  of  the  body  were  cloaked  and  fringed  with  hairs. 

*  See  "New  England  Farmer,"  Vol.  VII.  p.  33. 
t   Vol.  XIX.  pp.  62  and  63. 


380  LEPIDOPTERA. 

It  was  of  a  pale  sea-green  color  above,  marked  with  ash, 
blended  into  white ;  and  beneath  of  a  brilliant  orange,  spotted 
with  vivid  black.  When  in  motion  its  whole  appearance 
was  changed,  it  extended  to  the  length  of  two  inches,  and 
two  thirds  of  an  inch'  in  breadth,  its  colors  brightened,  and 
a  transverse  opening  was  disclosed  on  the  back,  two  thirds 
of  an  inch  from  the  head,  of  a  most  rich  velvet-black  color. 
It  was  sluggish  and  motionless  during  the  day,  and  active 
only  at  night."  Mr.  Abbot  found  the  caterpillar  of  the 
Velleda  lappet-moth  on  the  willow-oak  and  on  the  persim- 
mon ;  and  in  his  figure  it  is  represented  of  a  dark  ashen- 
gray  color,  with  a  velvet-like  black  band  across  the  upper 
part  of  the  third  ring.*  The  cocoon  of  the  specimen  sent 
to  me  by  Mr.  Fessenden  resembled  grocers'  soft  brownish- 
gray  paper  in  color  and  texture,  with  a  very  few  blackish 
hairs  interwoven  with  the  silk  of  which  it  was  made.  It 
was  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  and  half  an  inch  wide,  bor- 
dered on  all  sides  by  a  loose  web,  which  made  it  seem  of 
larger  dimensions  ;  its  shape  was  oval,  convex  above,  and 
perfectly  flat  and  very  thin  on  the  under  side.  The  moth 
came  forth  from  this  cocoon  on  the  15th  of  September,  or 
about  forty  days  after  the  cocoon  was  spun. 

The  Chinese  silk-worm  and  its  moth,  Bonibyx  mori,  the 
Bombyx  of  the  mulberry,  should  follow  these  insects  in  a 
natural  arrangement ;  for  the  former  is  slightly  hairy  when 
first  hatched  from  the  egg,  and,  though  naked  afterwards,  it 
has,  like  the  lappet-caterpillars,  a  long  fleshy  wart  on  the  top 
of  the  eleventh  ring.  The  history  of  the  silk-worm,  how- 
ever, does  not  belong  to  the  subject  of  this  treatise. 

There  are  several  kinds  of  caterpillars  in  the  United 
States  whose  cocoons  are  wholly  made  of  a  very  strong  and 
durable  silk,  fully  equal  to  that  obtained  in  India  from  the 
tusseh  and  arrindy  silk- worms.  These  insects,  together  with 
some  others,  whose  cocoons  are  much  thinner,  and  consist 
more  of  gummy  matter  than  of  silk,  belong  to  a  family  called 

*  Insects  of  Georgia,  p.  103,  pi.  52. 


THE    SATURNIANS.  381 

Saturnians  (SATURNIAD^E),  from  Saturnia,  the  name  of  a 
genus  included  in  this  group.  The  caterpillars  are  naked, 
are  generally  short,  thick,  and  clumsy,  cylindrical,  but  fre- 
quently hunched  on  the  back  of  each  ring,  especially  when 
at  rest,  and  are  furnished  with  a  few  warts,  which  are  either 
bristled  with  little  points  or  very  short  hairs,  or  are  crowned 
with  sharp  and  branching  prickles.  They  live  on  trees  or 
shrubby  plants,  the  leaves  of  which  they  devour;  some  of 
them,  when  young,  keep  and  feed  together  in  swarms,  but 
separate  as  they  become  older.  When  fully  grown  and 
ready  to  make  their  cocoons,  some  of  them  draw  together  a 
few  leaves  so  as  to  form  a  hollow,  within  which  they  spin 
their  cocoons ;  others  fasten  their  cocoons  to  the  stems  or 
branches  of  plants,  often  in  the  most  artful  and  ingenious 
manner ;  and  a  very  few  transform  upon  or  just  under  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  where  they  cover  themselves  with 
leaves  or  grains  of  earth  stuck  together  with  a  little  gummy 
matter.  The  escape  of  the  moth  from  its  cocoon  is  rendered 
easy  by  the  fluid  which  is  thrown  out  and  softens  the  threads. 
The  chrysalis  offers  no  striking  peculiarities,  being  smooth, 
not  hairy,  and  not  provided  with  transverse  notched  ridges. 
This  group  contains  some  of  the  largest  insects  of  the  order ; 
moths  distinguished  by  great  extent  and  breadth  of  wings, 
thick  and  woolly  bodies,  and  antennae  which  are  widely 
feathered  on  both  sides,  from  one  end  to  the  other,  in  the 
males  at  least,  and  often  in  both  sexes.  The  tongue  and  feel- 
ers are  extremely  short  and  rarely  visible.  The  wings  are 
generally  spread  out  when  at  rest,  so  as  to  display  both  pairs, 
and  they  are  held  either  horizontally,  or  more  or  less  elevated 
above  the  body ;  a  very  few,  however,  turn  the  fore  wings 
back,  so  as  to  cover  the  hind  wings  and  the  body  in  repose. 
There  are  no  bristles  and  hooks  to  keep  the  fore  hind  wings 
together.  In  the  middle  of  each  wing  there  is  generally  a 
conspicuous  spot  of  a  different  color  from  the  rest  of  the 
surface,  often  like  the  eye-spot  on  peacocks'  feathers,  some- 
times with  a  transparent  space  like  talc  or  isinglass  in  the 


382  LEPIDOPTEBA. 

middle,  and  sometimes  kidney-shaped  and  opaque.  These 
moths  commonly  fly  towards  the  close  of  the  day,  and  in  the 
evening  twilight.  Their  eggs  are  very  numerous,  amount- 
ing to  several  hundreds  from  a  single  individual. 

Although  the  injuries  committed  by  the  caterpillars  of  the 
Saturnians  are  by  no  means  very  great,  the  magnitude  and 
beauty  of  the  moths  render  them  very  conspicuous  and  wor- 
thy of  notice.  The  largest  kinds  belong  to  that  division  of 
the  Bombyces  called  Attacus  by  Linnaeus.  They  are  dis- 
tinguished from  the  rest  of  the  Saturnians  by  having  wide 
and  flat  antennae,  like  short  oval  feathers,  in  both  sexes,  and 
by  the  fleshy  warts  on  the  backs  of  their  caterpillars,  which 
are  richly  colored,  and  tipped  with  minute  bristles.  Pre- 
eminent above  all  our  moths  in  queenly  beauty  is  the  Atta- 
cus Luna  (Fig.  179),  or  Luna  moth,  its  specific  name  being 
•the  same  as  that  given  by  the  Romans  to  the  moon,  poetically 
styled  "  fair  empress  of  the  night."  The  wings  of  this  fine 
insect  are  of  a  delicate  light-green  color,  and  the  hinder 
angle  of  the  posterior  wings  is  prolonged,  so  as  to  form  a 
tail  to  each,  of  an  inch  and  a  half  or  more  in  length ;  there 
is  a  broad  purple-brown  stripe  along  the  front  edge  of  the 
fore  wings,  extending  also  across  the  thorax,  and  sending 
backwards  a  little  branch  to  an  eye-like  spot  near  the  middle 
of  the  wing ;  these  eye-spots,  of  which  there  is  one  on  each 
of  the  wings,  are  transparent  in  the  centre,  and  are  encircled 
by  rings  of  white,  red,  yellow,  and  black  ;  the  hinder  borders 
of  the  wings  are  more  or  less  edged  or  scalloped  with  purple- 
brown  ;  the  body  is  covered  with  a  white  kind  of  wool ;  the 
antennae  are  ochre-yellow;  and  the  legs  are  purple-brown. 
The  wings  expand  from  four  inches  and  three  quarters  to 
five  inches  and  a  half.  The  caterpillar  of  this  moth  lives  on 
the  walnut  and  hickory,  on  which  it  may  be  found,  fully 
grown,  towards  the  end  of  July  and  during  the  month  of 
August.  It  is  of  a  pale  and  very  clear  bluish-green  color ; 
there  is  a  yellow  stripe  on  each  side  of  the  body,  and  the 
back  is  crossed,  between  the  rings,  by  transverse  lines  of 


THE    LUNA    MOTH. 


384  LEPIDOPTERA. 

the  same  yellow  color ;  on  each  of  the  rings  are  about  six 
minute  pearl-colored  warts,  tinged  witli  purple  or  rose-red, 
and  furnishing  a  few  little  hairs  ;  and  at  the  extremity  of  the 
body  are  tliree  brown  spots,  edged  above  with  yellow.  When 
this  insect  is  at  rest  it  is  nearly  as  thick  as  a  man's  thumb, 
its  rings  are  hunched,  and  its  body  is  shortened,  not  measur- 
ing, even  when  fully  grown,  above  two  inches  in  length ; 
but,  in  motion,  it  extends  to  the  length  of  three  inches  or 
more.  When  about  to  make  its  cocoon,  it  draws  together, 
with  silken  threads,  two  or  three  leaves  of  the  tree,  and 

within  the  hollow  thus  formed 
spins  an  oval  and  very  close 
and  strong  cocoon  (Fig.  180), 
about  one  inch  and  three  quarters 
long,  and  immediately  afterwards 
changes  to  a  chrysalis.  The  co- 
coons fall  from  the  trees  in  the 
autumn  with  the  leaves  in  which 
they  are  enveloped ;  and  the  moths  make  their  escape  from 
them  in  June. 

A  caterpillar,  closely  resembling  that  of  the  Luna  moth, 
may  be  found  on  oaks,  and  sometimes  also  on  elm  and  lime 
trees,  in  August  and  September.  Its  sides  are  not  striped 
with  yellow,  and  there  are  no  transverse  yellow  bands  on  the 
back;  the  warts  have  a  pearly  lustre,  more  or  less  tinted 
with  orange,  rose-red,  or  purple,  and  between  the  two  lower- 
most on  the  side  of  each  ring  is  an  oblique  white  line ;  the 
head  and  the  feet  are  brown ;  and  the  tail  is  bordered  by  a 
brown  V-shaped  line.  These  caterpillars,  in  repose,  cling 
to  the  twigs  of  the  trees,  with  their  backs  downwards, 
contract  their  bodies  in  length,  and  hunch  up  the  rings  even 
more  than  those  of  the  Luna  moth,  which,  when  fully  grown, 
they  somewhat  exceed  in  size.  They  make  their  cocoons 
upon  the  trees  in  the  same  manner,  with  an  outer  covering 
of  leaves,  which  fall  off  in  the  autumn,  bearing  the  enclosed 
tough  oval  cocoons  to  the  ground,  where  they  remain  through 


THE  ATTACUS  CECROPIA.  385 

the  winter,  and  the  moths  come  out  in  the  month  of  June 
following.  Notwithstanding  the  great  similarity  of  the  cater- 
pillar and  its  cocoon  to  those  of  the  Luna,  the  moth  is  en- 
tirely different.  Its  hind  wings  are  not  tailed,  but  are  cut 
off  almost  square  at  the  corners.  It  is  of  a  dull  ochre-yel- 
low color,  more  or  less  clouded  with  black  in  the  middle  of 
the  wings,  on  each  of  which  there  is  a  transparent  eye-like 
spot,  divided  transversely  by  a  slender  line,  and  encircled 
by  yellow  and  black  rings ;  before  and  adjoining  to  the  eye- 
spot  of  the  hind  wings  is  a  large  blue  spot  shading  into 
black ;  near  the  hinder  margin  of  the  wings  is  a  dusky  band, 
edged  with  reddish  white  behind ;  on  the  front  margin  of  the 
fore  wings  is  a  gray  stripe,  which  also  crosses  the  fore  part 
of  the  thorax ;  and  near  the  base  of  the  same  wings  are  two 
short  red  lines,  edged  with  white.  It  expands  from  five  and 
a  quarter  to  six  inches.  This  moth,  on  account  of  its  great 
size,  is  called  Polyphemus  (Fig.  181),  the  name  of  one  of 
the  giants  in  mythology. 

Attacus  Cecropia*  (Fig.  182)  is  a  still  larger  insect,  ex- 
panding from  five  inches  and  three  quarters  to  six  inches  and 
a  half.  The  hind  wings  are  rounded,  and  not  tailed.  The 
ground-color  of  the  wings  is  a  grizzled  dusky  brown,  with 
the  hinder  margins  clay-colored ;  near  the  middle  of  each  of 
the  wings  there  is  an  opaque  kidney-shaped  dull,  red  spot, 
having  a  white  centre  and  a  narrow  black  edging ;  and  be- 
yond the  spot  a  wavy  dull  red  band,  bordered  internally 
with  white  ;  the  fore  wings,  next  to  the  shoulders,  are  dull 
red,  with  a  curved  white  band ;  and  near  the  tips  of  the 
same  is  an  eye-like  black  spot,  within  a  bluish-white  cres- 
cent ;  the  upper  side  of  the  body  and  the  legs  are  dull  red  ; 
the  fore  part  of  the  thorax  and  the  hinder  edges  of  the 
rings  of  the  abdomen  are  white  ;  and  the  belly  is  checkered 
with  red  and  white.  This  moth  makes  its  appearance  dur- 
ing the  month  of  June.  The  caterpillar  (Fig.  183)  is 

*   Cecropia  was  the  ancient  name  of  the  city  of  Athens ;  its  application,  by 
Linnaeus,  to  this  moth  is  inexplicable. 
4!) 


:;st; 


LEPIDOPTERA. 


THE    ATTACUS    CECROPIA. 


387 


388 


LEPIDOPTERA. 


found  on  apple,  cherry,  and  plum  trees,  and  on  currant  and 
barberry  bushes  in  July  and  August.  When  young  it  is 
of  a  deep  yellow  color,  with  rows  of  minute  black  warts  on 
its  back.  It  comes  to  its  full  size  by  the  first  of  September, 


Fig.  183. 


and  then  measures  three  inches  or  more  in  length,  and  is 
thicker  than  a  man's  thumb.  It  is  then  entirely  of  a  fine, 
clear,  light  green  color ;  on  the  top  of  the  second  ring  are 
two  large  globular  coral-red  warts,  beset  with  about  four- 
teen very  short  black  bristles  ;  the  two  warts  on  the  top 
of  the  third  ring  are  like  those  on  xthe  second,  but  rather 
larger ;  on  the  top  of  the  seven  following  rings  there  are 
two  very  long  egg-shaped  yellow  warts,  bristled  at  the  end, 
and  a  single  wart  of  larger  size  on  the  eleventh  ring ;  on 
each  side  of  the  body  there  are  two  longitudinal  rows  of 
long  light  blue  warts,  bristled  at  the  end,  and  an  additional 
short  row,  below  them,  along  the  first  five  rings.  This  cat- 
erpillar does  not  bear  confinement  well ;  but  it  may  be  seen 
spinning  its  cocoon,  early  in  September,  on  the  twigs  of  the 
trees  or  bushes  on  which  it  lives.  The  cocoon  (Fig.  184, 

Fig.  184. 


Fig.  185,  pupa)  is  fastened  longitudinally  to  the  side  of  a 
twig.     It  is,  on  an  average,  three  inches  long,  and  one  inch 


THE  ATTACUS  CECROPIA.  389 

in  diameter  at  the  widest  part.  Its  shape  is  an  oblong  oval, 
pointed  at  the  upper  end.  It  is  double,  the  outer  coat  being 
wrinkled,  and  resembling  strong 
brown  paper  in  color  and  thick- 
ness ;  when  this  tough  outer  coat 
is  cut  open,  the  inside  will  be 
seen  to  be  lined  with  a  quantity 
of  loose,  yellow-brown,  strong 
silk,  surrounding  an  inner  oval  cocoon,  composed  of  the 
same  kind  of  silk,  and  closely  woven  like  that  of  the  silk- 
worm. The  insect  remains  in  the  chrysalis  form  through 
the  winter.  The  moth,  which  comes  forth  in  the  following 
summer,  would  not  be  able  to  pierce  the  inner  cocoon,  were 
it  not  for  the  fluid  provided  for  the  purpose  of  softening  the 
threads ;  but  it  easily  forces  its  way  through  the  outer  cocoon 
at  the  small  end,  which  is  more  loosely  woven  than  else- 
where, and  the  threads  of  which  converge  again,  by  their 
own  elasticity,  so  as  almost  entirely  to  close  the  opening 
after  the  insect  has  escaped. 

A  few  brown  and  curled  leaves  may  frequently  be  seen 
hanging  upon  sassafras-trees  during  the  winter,  when  all 
the  other  leaves  have  fallen  off.  If  one  of  these  leaves  is 
examined,  it  will  be  found  to  be  retained  by  a  quantity  of 
silken  thread,  which  is  wound  or  woolded  round  the  twig 
to  the  distance  of  half  an  inch  or  more  on  each  side  of  the 
leaf-stalk,  and  is  thence  carried  downwards  around  the  stalk 
to  an  oval  cocoon,  that  is  wrapped  up  by  the  sides  of  the 
leaf.  The  cocoon  itself  is  about  an  inch  long,  of  a  regular 
oval  shape,  and  is  double,  like  that  of  the  Cecropia  cater- 
pillar ;  but  the  outer  coat  is  not  loose  and  wrinkled,  and  the 
space  between  the  outer  and  inner  coats  is  small,  and  does 
not  contain  much  floss  silk.  So  strong  is  the  coating  of  silk 
that  surrounds  the  leaf-stalk,  and  connects  the  cocoon  with 
the  branch,  that  it  cannot  be  severed  without  great  force  ; 
and  consequently  the  chrysalis  swings  securely  within  its 
leaf-covered  hammock  through  all  the  storms  of  winter. 


390  LEPIDOPTERA. 

Cocoons  of  the  same  kind  are  sometimes  found  suspended 
to  the  twigs  of  the  wild  cheny-tree,  the  Azalea,  or  swamp- 
pink,  and  the  Cephalanthus,  or  button-bush,  but  not  so 
often  as  on  the  sassafras-tree.  Two  of  them,  hanging  close 
together  on  one  twig,  were  once  brought  to  me,  and  a  male 
and  a  female  moth  were  produced  from  these  twin  cocoons 
in  July,  the  usual  time  for  these  insects  to  leave  their  winter 
quarters.  Drury  called  this  kind  of  moth  Promethea,  a 
mistake  probably  for  Prometheus,*  the  name  of  one  of  the 
Titans,  all  of  whom  were  fabled  to  be  of  gigantic  size.  The 
color  of  Attacus  Promeihea  differs  according  to  the  sex. 
The  male  (Fig.  186)  is  of  a  deep  smoky  brown  color  on  the 

Fig.  186. 


upper  side,  and  the  female  (Fig.  187)  light  reddish  brown  ; 
in  both,  the  wings  are  crossed  by  a  wavy  whitish  line  near 
the  middle,  and  have  a  wide  clay-colored  border,  which  is 
marked  by  a  wavy  reddish  line  ;  near  the  tips  of  the  fore 
wings  there  is  an  eye-like  black  spot  within  a  bluish-white 
crescent ;  near  the  middle  of  each  of  the  wings  of  the  female 
there  is  an  angular  reddish-white  spot,  edged  with  black  ; 
these  angular  spots  are  visible  on  the  under  side  of  the  wings 

*  Atlat  was  the  brother  of  Prometheus,  and  this  name,  it  will  be  recollected. 
ha»  been  given  to  another  of  the  Bombyces,  an  immensely  large  moth  from  China. 


THE  ATTACUS  PROMETHEA. 


391 


of  the  male,  but  are  rarely  seen  on  their  upper  side  ;  the 
hind  wings  in  both  are  rounded  and  not  tailed.  These  moths 
expand  from  three  inches  and  three  quarters  to  four  inches 
and  a  quarter.  The  female  deposits  her  eggs  on  the  twigs 
of  the  trees,  in  little  clusters  of  five  or  six  together,  and 
these  are  hatched  towards  the  end  of  July  or  early  in  Au- 
gust. The  caterpillars  usually  come  to  their  full  size  by  the 
beginning  of  September,  and  then  measure  two  inches  or 
more  in  length,  when  extended,  and  about  half  an  inch  in 
diameter.  The  body  of  the  caterpillar  is  very  plump,  and 
but  very  little  contracted  on  the  back  between  the  rings. 
It  is  of  a  clear  and  pale  bluish-green  color ;  the  head,  the 


Fig.  187. 


feet,  and  the  tail  are  yellow  ;  there  are  about  eight  warts  on 
each  of  the  rings  ;  the  two  uppermost  warts  on  the  top  of 
the  second  and  of  the  third  rings  are  almost  cylindrical, 
much  longer  than  the  rest,  and  of  a  rich  coral-red  color ; 
there  is  a  long  yellow  wart  on  the  top  of  the  eleventh  ring  ; 
all  the  rest  of  the  warts  are  very  small,  and  of  a  deep  blue 
color.  Before  making  its  cocoon  the  caterpillar  instinctively 
fastens  to  the  branch  the  leaf  that  is  to  serve  for  a  cover 
to  its  cocoon,  so  that  it  shall  not  fall  off  in  the  autumn,  and 
then  proceeds  to  spin  on  the  upper  side  of  the  leaf,  bending 


392  LEPIDOPTERA. 

over  the  edges  to  form  a  hollow,  within  which  its  cocoon 
is  concealed. 

The  Luna,  Polyphemus,  Cecropia,  and  Promethea  moths 
are  the  only  native  insects  belonging  to  the  genus  Attacus 
which  are  known  to  me.  Their  large  cocoons,  consisting 
entirely  of  silk,  the  fibres  of  which  far  surpass  those  of  the 
silk-worm  in  strength,  might  perhaps  be  employed  in  the 
formation  of  fabrics  similar  to  those  manufactured  in  India 
from  the  cocoons  of  the  tusseh  and  arrindy  silk-worms,  the 
durability  of  which  is  such,  that  a  garment  of  tusseh  silk 
"  is  scarcely  worn  out  in  the  lifetime  of  one  person,  but 
often  descends  from  mother  to  daughter  ;  and  even  the  cov- 
ers of  palanquins  made  of  it,  though  exposed  to  the  influ- 
ence of  the  weather,  last  many  years."  The  method  em- 
ployed by  the  inhabitants  of  India  for  unwinding  the  cocoons 
of  their  native  silk-worms  would  probably  apply  equally 
well  to  those  of  our  country,  which  have  not  yet,  that  I  am 
aware  of,  been  submitted  to  the  same  process.  It  is  true 
that  experiments,  upon  a  very  limited  scale,  have  been  made 
with  the  silk  of  the  Cecropia,  which  has  been  carded  and 
spun  and  woven  into  stockings,  that  are  said  to  wash  like 
linen.  The  Rev.  Samuel  Pullein  was  among  the  first  to 
attempt  to  unwind  the  cocoons  of  the  Cecropia  moth,  an 
account  of  which  is  contained  in  the  "  Philosophical  Trans- 
actions of  the  Royal  Society  of  London,"  for  the  year  1759.* 
Mr.  Pullein  ascertained  that  twenty  threads  of  this  silk 
twisted  together  would  sustain  nearly  an  ounce  more  in 
weight  than  the  same  number  of  common  silk.  Mr.  Moses 
Bartram,  of  Philadelphia,  in  the  year  1767,  succeeded  in 
bringing  up  the  caterpillars  from  the  eggs  of  the  Cecropia 
moth,  and  obtained  several  cocoons  from  them.f  In  the 
Paris  "  Journal  des  Debate,"  of  the  23d  of  July,  1840,  is 
an  account  of  the  complete  success  of  Mr.  Audouin  in 

»  VoL  LI.  p.  64. 

See  "  Transactions  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society  of  Philadelphia," 
Vol.  I.  p.  294. 


THE    SATURNIA    10.  393 

rearing  the  caterpillars  of  this  or  of  some  other  American 
species  of  Attacus,  the  cocoons  of  which  were  sent  to  him 
from  New  Orleans.  The  Cecropia  does  not  bear  confine- 
ment well,  and  is  not  so  good  a  subject  for  experiment  as 
the  Luna  and  Polyphemus,  which  are  easily  reared,  and 
make  their  cocoons  quite  as  well  in  the  house  as  in  the  open 
air.  The  following  circumstances  seem  particularly  to  rec- 
ommend these  indigenous  silk-worms  to  the  attention  of 
persons  interested  in  the  silk  culture.  Our  native  oak  and 
nut  trees  afford  an  abundance  of  food  for  the  caterpillars  ; 
their  cocoons  are  much  heavier  than  those  of  the  silk-worm, 
and  will  yield  a  greater  quantity  of  silk  ;  and,  as  the  insects 
remain  unchanged  in  the  chrysalis  state  from  September 
to  June,  the  cocoons  may  be  kept  for  unwinding  at  any 
leisure  time  during  the  winter.  By  a  careful  search,  after 
the  falling  of  the  leaves  in  the  autumn,  a  sufficient  number 
of  cocoons  may  be  found,  under  the  oak  and  nut  trees,  with 
which  to  begin  a  course  of  experiments  in  breeding  the  in- 
sects, and  in  the  manufacture  of  their  silk. 

Two  more  moths,  belonging  to  the  family  under  consid- 
eration, are  found  in  Massachusetts.  They  may  be  referred 
to  the  genus  Saturnia*  and  are  distinguished  from  the  fore- 
going by  their  antennae,  which  are  widely  feathered  only 
in  the  males,  the  feathering  being  very  narrow  in  the  other 
sex ;  their  caterpillars,  moreover,  are  furnished  with  small 
warts  crowned  with  long  prickles  or  branching  spines.  None 
of  the  caterpillars  described  in  the  preceding  pages  are  ven- 
omous ;  all  of  them  may  be  handled  with  impunity.  This 
is  not  the  case  with  the  two  following  kinds,  the  prickles 
of  which  sting  severely.  The  first  of  these  begin  to  appear 
by  the  middle  of  June,  and  Fig  188 

other  broods  continue  to  be 
hatched  till  the  middle  of  July. 
These  caterpillars  (Fig.  188) 
live  on  the  balsam  poplar  and 

*  The  surname  of  Juno,  the  daughter  of  Saturn. 
50 


394  LEPIDOPTERA. 

the  elm,  and,  according  to  Mr.  Abbot,  on  the  dogwood  or 
cornel,  and  the  sassafras  ;  they  feed  well  also  on  the  leaves 
of  clover  and  Indian  corn.  They  are  of  a  pea-green  color, 
with  a  broad  brown  stripe  edged  below  with  white  on  each 
side  of  the  body,  beginning  on  the  fourth  ring  and  ending 
at  the  tail ;  they  are  covered  with  spreading  clusters  of 
green  prickles,  tipped  with  black,  and  of  a  uniform  length  ; 
each  of  these  clusters  consists  of  about  thirty  prickles  branch- 
ing from  a  common  centre,  and  there  are  six  clusters  on 
each  of  the  rings  except  the  last  two,  on  which  there  are 
only  five,  and  on  the  first  four  rings,  on  each  of  which  there 
is  an  additional  cluster  low  down  on  each  side ;  the  feet 
are  brown,  and  there  is  a  triangular  brown  spot  on  the 
under  side  of  each  ring,  beginning  with  the  fourth.  The 
prickles  are  exceedingly  sharp,  sting  very  severely  when 
the  insect  is  handled,  and  produce  the  same  kind  of  irrita- 
tion as  those  of  the  nettle.  When  young  these  caterpillars 
keep  together  in  little  swarms.  They  do  not  spin  a  common 
web,  but,  when  not  eating,  they  creep  under  a  leaf,  where 
they  cluster  side  by  side.  In  going  from  or  returning  to 
their  place  of  shelter  they  move  in  regular  files,  like  the 
processionary  caterpillars  (Lasiocampa  processioned)  of  Eu- 
rope, a  single  caterpillar  taking  the  lead,  and  followed  closely 
by  perhaps  one  or  two  in  single  file,  after  which  come  two, 
side  by  side,  close  upon  the  heels  of  these  creep  three  more, 
the  next  rank  consists  of  four,  and  so  on,  the  ranks  contin- 
ually widening  behind,  like  a  flock  of  wild  geese  on  the 
wing,  but  in  perfectly  regular  order.  When  about  half 
grown  they  disperse,  and  each  one  shirks  for  himself.  At 
the  age  of  eight  weeks  they  get  to  their  full  size,  in  the 
meanwhile  moulting  their  skins  four  times,  and  finally  meas- 
ure two  inches  and  a  half  or  more  in  length.  At  this  age 
they  leave  off  eating,  crawl  to  the  ground,  and  get  under 
leaves  or  rubbish,  which  they  draw  round  their  bodies  to 
form  an  outer  covering,  within  which  they  make  an  irregular 
and  thin  cocoon  (Fig.  189),  of  very  gummy  brown  silk, 


THE    SATURNIA    10. 


395 


Fig.  189. 


Fig.  190. 


that  has  almost  the  texture  of  thin  parchment.  As  soon 
as  their  cocoons  are  finished,  the 
insects  are  changed  to  chrysalids 
(Fig.  190),  in  which  form  they  re- 
main throughout  the  winter,  and 
in  the  following  summer,  during  the 
month  of  June,  or  beginning  of 
July,  they  come  out  in  the  winged 
or  moth  state.  The  scientific  name 
of  these  moths  is  Saturnia  Io*  Un- 
like those  of  the  genus  Attacus,  they 
sit  with  their  wings  closed,  and  covering  the  body  like  a 
low  roof,  the  front  edge  of  the  under  wings  extending  a 
little  beyond  that  of  the  upper  wings,  and  curving  upwards. 
The  two  sexes  differ  both  in  color  and  size.  The  male 
(Fig.  191),  which  is  the  smallest,  is  of  a  deep  or  Indian 

Fig.  191. 


yellow  color ;  on  its  fore  wings  there  are  two  oblique  wavy 
lines  towards  the  hind  margin,  a  zigzag  line  near  the  base, 
and  several  spots  so  arranged  on  the  middle  as  to  form  the 
letters  A  H,  all  of  a  purplish  red  color ;  the  hind  wings 
are  broadly  bordered  with  purplish  red  next  to  the  body, 
and  near  the  hinder  margin  there  is  a  narrow  curved  band 
of  the  same  color ;  within  this  band  there  is  a  curved  black 


*  7o,  a  priestess  of  Juno,  in  Greece,  afterwards  became  the  wife  of  Osiris,  the 
king  of  Egypt,  and  received  divine  honors  under  the  name  of  Isis. 


LEPIDOPTERA. 

line,  and  on  the  middle  of  the  wing  a  large  round  blue  spot, 
having  a  broad  black  border  and  a  central  white  dash.  The 
fore  wings  of  the  female  (Fig.  192)  are  purple-brown,  min- 


Fig.  192. 


gled  with  gray  ;  the  zigzag  and  wavy  lines  across  them  are 
gray,  and  the  lettered  space  in  the  middle  is  replaced  by 
a  brown  spot  surrounded  by  an  irregular  gray  line  ;  the 
hind  wings  resemble  those  of  the  male  in  color  and  mark- 
ings ;  the  thorax  and  legs  are  purple-brown ;  and  the  abdo- 
men is  oclire-yellow,  with  a  narrow  purple-red  band  on  the 
edge  of  each  ring.  These  moths  expand  from  two  inches 
and  three  quarters  to  three  inches  and  a  half. 

The  other  Saturnia,  inhabiting  Massachusetts,  is  the  Maia* 
(Fig.   193)  of  Drury,  or  Proserpina^  of  Fabricius.     The 

Fig.  193. 


moth  probably  rests  with  its  wings  closed,  like  the  lo  moth, 

•  Maia,  in  mythology,  was  one  of  the  seven  daughters  of  Atlas;  they  were 
placed  iu  the  heavens  after  death,  and  formed  the  constellation  called  Pleiades. 
t  Proterpina  was  the  wife  of  Pluto,  the  god  of  the  infernal  regions. 


THE    SATURNIA    MAIA.  397 

the  fore  wings  covering  the  other  pair,  the  front  edge  of 
which  seems  formed  to  extend  a  little  beyond  that  of  the 
fore  wings  in  this  position.  The  wings  are  thin  and  almost 
transparent  like  crape ;  they  are  black,  and  both  pairs  are 
crossed  by  a  broad  yellow-white  band,  near  the  middle  of 
which,  on  each  wing,  there  is  a  kidney-shaped  black  spot 
having  a  central  yellow- white  crescent  or  curved  line  on  it ; 
the  thorax  is  covered  with  black  hairs  on  the  top,  pale  yel- 
low hairs  on  the  fore  part,  and  has  two  tufts  of  rust-red 
hairs  behind ;  the  abdomen  is  black,  with  a  few  yellowish 
hairs  along  the  sides,  and  a  patch  of  a  rust-red  color  at 
the  extremity,  in  the  males.  The  wings  expand  from  two 
inches  and  a  half  to  three  inches  and  one  eighth. 

Satwnia  Maia  seems  to  be  a  very  rare  moth  in  Massachu- 
setts ;  I  have  never  met  with  it  alive,  but  have  seen  several 
specimens  which  were  taken  in  this  State.  The  time  of  its 
appearance  here  is  not  known  to  me  with  certainty  ;  but, 
if  I  am  rightly  informed,  it  has  been  found  in  July  and 
the  beginning  of  August,  flying  by  day  on  the  borders  of 
oak  woods,  or  resting  on  the  shrub  oaks  which  cover  the 
sides  of  some  of  our  high  hills.  Of  the  caterpillar  I  have 
seen  only  one  specimen,  which  was  found,  fully  grown,  on 
an  oak,  towards  the  end  of  September ;  it  was  destroyed, 
however,  before  I  had  an  opportunity  of  making  a  descrip- 
tion of  it.  Mr.  Abbot  *  has  figured  two  of  the  caterpillars, 
which  differ  from  each  other  in  color. and  markings.  They 
are  nearly  three  inches  long ;  the  head  and  all  the  feet  are 
red  ;  and  on  each  of  the  rings  there  are  six  long  branched 
prickles.  One  of  these  caterpillars  is  represented  of  a  dusky 
brown  color  mingled  with  yellow,  with  yellow  warts  from 
which  the  prickles  arise.  The  other  is  yellow,  with  red 
warts,  and  two  black  stripes  along  the  back*  Mr.  Abbot 
states  that  these  caterpillars,  while  small,  feed  together  in 
company,  but  disperse  as  they  grow  large ;  they  eat  the 
leaves  of  various  kinds  of  oaks  ;  sting  very  sharply  when 

*  Insects  of  Georgia,  p.  99,  pi.  50. 


:;(.IS  LEPIDOPTERA. 

handled ;  and  that  they  go  into  the  ground  to  transform  ; 
but  he  does  not  inform  us  whether  they  make  cocoons. 
Probably  their  cocoons  are  like  those  of  the  lo  moth,  com- 
posed of  a  gummy  membranaceous  substance,  covered  either 
with  leaves  or  with  grains  of  earth. 

As  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  these  six  moths  are  the  only 
Saturnians  which  have  been  discovered  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  they  are  commonly  met  with  throughout  the 
United  States.*  The  last  of  them,  together  with  some  for- 
eign species,  such  as  the  Tau  moth  of  Europe,  seem  nat- 
urally to  conduct  to  the  next  family,  which  I  call  Cerato- 
campians  (CERATOCAMPAD^E),  after  the  name  of  the  chief 
genus  contained  in  it.  This  name,  moreover,  signifying 
horned  caterpillar,  serves  to  point  out  the  principal  pecu- 
liarity of  the  caterpillars  in  this  group  ;  they  being  armed 

•  Mr.  Audubon  has  figured  two  more,  apparently  sexes  or  varieties  of  one 
species,  in  the  fourth  volume  of  his  magnificent  "Birds  of  America,"  pi.  359; 
but  has  not  named  or  described  them.  He  informs  me  that  they  were  taken  by 
Mr.  Nuttall  near  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Edward 
Doubleday,  of  Epping,  England,  the  present  possessor  of  one  of  the  very  speci- 
mens from  which  Mr.  Audubon's  drawing  was  made,  an  opportunity  of  exam- 
ining and  describing  this  fine  insect  has  been  granted  to  me. 

Though  differing  somewhat  from  the  other  species  of  Satumia,  it  approaches 
so  near  to  the  JUaia  that  I  shall  not  venture  to  separate  it  from  this  genus,  espe- 
cially aa  the  caterpillar  and  its  habits  are  unknown.  It  may  be  called  Saturnia 
Hera :  the  latter  (a  generical  name  proposed  for  it  by  Mr.  Doubleday)  is  the  name 
given  by  the  Greeks  to  Juno.  The  specimen  before  me  is  a  male.  It  resembles 
the  Main,  in  form  and  size,  but  the  wings  are  not  quite  so  thin,  and  are  more 
opaque.  The  fore  wings  when  the  insect  is  resting  probably  cover  the  hind  wings, 
the  front  edge  of  which  appears  to  be  formed  to  project  a  little  beyond  that  of 
the  fore  wings.  It  is  of  a  pale  yellow  color;  on  each  of  the  wings  there  is  a 
kidney-shaped  black  spot  between  two  transverse  wavy  black  bands ;  the  outer 
margins  are  black ;  the  veins  from  the  external  black  band  to  the  edge  are  marked 
with  broad  black  lines;  and  there  is  a  short  black  line  at  the  base  of  the  fore 
wings ;  the  head,  fore  part  of  the  thorax,  and  upper  sides  of  the  legs,  are  deep 
ochre-yellow ;  and  the  rings  of  the  abdomen  are  transversely  banded  with  black 
at  the  base,  and  with  ochre-yellow  on  their  hinder  edges.  The  kidney-shaped 
spots  on  the  fore  wings  have  a  very  slender  central  yellow  crescent,  and  those  on 
the  hind  wings  touch  the  external  black  band.  The  wings  expand  three  inches. 
The  other  moth,  figured  on  the  same  plate  in  Mr.  Audubon's  work,  which  is 
probably  the  female  of  the  preceding,  apparently  differs  from  it  only  in  being  of 
a  deep  Indian-yellow  color,  and  in  having  the  crescent  in  the  middle  of  the  kid- 
ney-shaped spote  very  distinct,  whereas  in  the  male  it  is  almost  obsolete. 


THE    REGAL    WALNUT-MOTH. 

with  thorny  points,  of  which  those  on  the  second  ring,  and 
sometimes  also  those  on  the  third,  are  long,  curved,  and 
resemble  horns.  These  caterpillars  eat  the  leaves  of  forest- 
trees,  and  go  into  the  ground  to  undergo  their  transforma- 
tions without  making  cocoons.  The  rings  of  the  chrysalis 
are  surrounded  by  little  notched  ridges,  the  teeth  of  which, 
together  with  the  strong  prickles  at  the  hinder  end  of  the 
body,  assist  it  in  forcing  its  way  upwards  out  of  the  earth, 
just  as  the  moth  is  about  to  burst  the  skin  of  the  chrysalis. 
The  moths  are  very  easily  distinguished  from  all  the  fore- 
going by  their  antennas,  which  are  short,  and  in  the  males 
are  feathered  on  both  sides  for  a  little  more  than  half  the 
length  of  the  stalk,  and  are  naked  from  thence  to  the  tip  ; 
while  those  of  the  females  are  threadlike,  and  neither  feath- 
ered nor  toothed.  The  feelers  (except  in  Ceratocampa,  in 
which  they  are  very  distinct)  and  the  tongue  are  very  small, 
and  not  ordinarily  visible.  There  are  no  bristles  and  hooks 
to  fasten  together  the  wings,  which,  when  at  rest,  are  not 
spread,  but  are  closed,  the  fore  wings  covering  the  hinder 
pair,  and  the  front  edge  of  the  latter,  in  most  cases,  extends 
a  little  beyond  that  of  the  fore  wings.  These  are  some  of 
the  principal  characters  on  which  I  have  ventured  to  estab- 
lish this  family,  which  is  now,  for  the  first  time,  pointed  out 
as  a  peculiar  group.  I  believe  that  it  is  exclusively  Ameri- 
can. 

One  of  the  largest  and  most  rare,  and  withal  the  most 
magnificent  of  our  moths,  is  the  Ceratocampa  regalis  (Fig. 
194),  or  regal  walnut-moth.  Its  fore  wings  are  olive-col- 
ored, adorned  with  several  yellow  spots,  and  veined  with 
broad  red  lines ;  the  hind  wings  are  orange-red,  with  two 
large  irregular  yellow  patches  before,  and  a  row  of  wedge- 
shaped  olive-colored  spots  between  the  veins  behind ;  the 
head  is  orange-red ;  the  thorax  is  yellow,  with  the  edge  of 
the  collar,  the  shoulder-covers,  and  an  angular  spot  on  the 
top,  orange-red ;  the  upper  side  of  the  abdomen,  and  the 
legs,  are  also  orange-red.  Unlike  the  other  moths  of  the 


400 


LEPIDOPTERA. 


same  family,  the  feelers  in  this  are  distinct,  cylindrical,  and 
prominent,  and  the  front  edge  of  the  hind  wings  does  not 
seem  to  be  formed  to  extend  beyond  that  of  the  other  pair 
when  the  wings  are  closed.  It  expands  from  five  to  six 


Fig.  194. 


inches.  In  the  year  1828,  I  found  three  of  the  eggs  of  this 
fine  insect  on  the  black  walnut  on  the  20th  of  July  and 
the  4th  of  August.  They  were  just  hatched  at  the  time, 
and  the  caterpillars  were  near  to  them  resting  on  a  leaf. 
The  position  of  these  young  insects  was  so  peculiar  as  to 
attract  attention,  independently  of  the  long  branching  spines 
with  which  the  fore  part  of  their  body  was  armed.  They 
were  not  stretched  out  in  a  straight  line,  neither  were  they 
hunched  up  like  the  caterpillars  of  the  Luna  and  Polyphe- 
mus moths ;  but,  when  at  rest,  they  bent  the  fore  part  of 
the  body  sideways,  so  that  the  head  nearly  touched  the 
middle  of  the  side,  and  their  long  horn-like  spines  were 
stretched  forwards,  in  a  slanting  direction,  over  the  head. 
When  disturbed,  they  raised  their  heads  and  horns,  and 
shook  them  from-  side  to  side  in  a  menacing  manner.  These 
little  caterpillars  were  nearly  black ;  on  each  of  the  rings, 
except  the  last  two,  there  were  six  straight  yellow  thorns 
or  spines,  which  were  furnished  on  all  sides  with  little  sharp 
points  like  short  branches.  Of  these  branched  spines,  two 


THE    REGAL    WALNUT-MOTH. 


401 


on  the  top  of  the  first  ring,  and  four  on  the  second  and  the 
third  rings,  or  ten  in  all,  were  very  much  longer  than  the 
rest,  and  were  tipped  with  little  knobs,  ending  in  two  points ; 
they  were  also  movable,  the  insect  having  the  power  of  drop- 
ping them  almost  horizontally  over  the  head,  and  of  raising 
them  up  again  perpendicularly.  On  the  eleventh  ring  there 
were  seven  spines,  the  middle  one  being  long  and  knobbed 
like  those  on  the  fore  part  of  the  body ;  on  the  last  ring  there 
were  eleven  short  and  branched  spines.  After  casting  its 
skin  two  or  three  tunes,  the  caterpillar  becomes  lighter- 
colored,  and  gradually  changes  to  green;  the  knobs  on  the 
long  spines  disappear,  their  little  points  or  branches  do  not 
increase  in  size,  and  finally  these  spines  become  curved,  turn- 
ing backwards  at  their  points,  and  resemble  horns.  When 
fully  grown,  the  caterpillar  (Fig.  195)  measures  from  four  to 


Fig.  195. 


five  inches  in  length,  and  about  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
in  diameter.  It  is  of  a  green  color,  and  transversely  banded 
across  each  of  the  rings  with  pale  blue ;  there  is  a  large  blue- 
black  spot  on  each  side  of  the  third  ring  ;  the  head  and  legs 
are  orange-colored ;  the  ten  long  horn-like  spines  on  the  fore 
part  of  the  body  are  orange-colored,  with  the  tips  and  the 
points  surrounding  them  black ;  the  other  spines  are  short  and 
black.  Notwithstanding  the  great  size,  formidable  appear- 
ance, and  menacing  motions  of  this  insect,  when  handled  it 
is  perfectly  harmless,  and  unable  to  sting  or  wound  with  its 
frightful  horns.  It  lives  solitary  on  walnut  and  hickory  trees, 
the  leaves  of  which  it  eats  ;  crawls  down  and  goes  into  the 
ground  towards  the  end  of  summer,  and  changes  to  a  chrysalis 
51 


402  LEPIDOPTERA. 

without  previously  making  a  cocoon.  Unfortunately  my 
caterpillars  died  before  the  time  for  their  transformation 
arrived.  The  chrysalis  is  short  and  thick;  obtuse  behind, 
but  terminated  by  two  minute  points ;  and  the  transverse 
notched  ridges  or  little  teeth  that  are  found  on  the  chrysa- 
lids  of  the  other  insects  belonging  to  the  same  family,  are 
very  small  and  hardly  visible  on  this  one.  The  insect  re- 
mains in  the  ground  through  the  winter,  and  the  moth  comes 
out  in  the  following  summer,  during  the  month  of  June, 
if  I  am  rightly  informed.  I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain 
one  myself,  and  my  description  of  the  moth  was  made  from 
a  very  fine  specimen  belonging  to  a  friend,  who  received  it 
from  New  Bedford. 

Between  the  regal  Ceratocampa  and  the  smaller  insects  of 
this  family  belonging  to  the  new  genus  Dryocampa  should  be 
placed  a  noble  moth,  which  partakes,  in  some  respects,  of 
the  characters  of  both ;  its  horned  caterpillar,  particularly 
while  young,  when  its  horns  are  proportionally  longer  and 
more  formidable  in  appearance  than  afterwards,  resembles 
somewhat  that  of  the  Ceratocampa ;  its  chrysalis  is  exactly 
like  that  of  a  Dryocampa,  and  like  the  latter  also,  in  the 
winged  state,  its  feelers  are  minute,  its  hind  wings  project 
beyond  the  front  edges  of  the  fore  wings  when  at  rest,  and 
its  style  of  coloring  is  the  same.  In  my  Catalogue  of  the 
Insects  of  Massachusetts,  I  placed  this  moth,  the  imperia- 
lis  of  Drury,  in  the  genus  Ceratocampa,  from  which,  how- 
ever, it  must  be  removed,  on  account  of  its  very  small 
feelers,  and  the  position  of  its  wings ;  and  I  now  refer  it, 
with  some  hesitation,  to  the  genus  Dryocampa,  with  which 
it  agrees  so  well  in  the  moth  state,  although  its  caterpillar 
differs  a  good  deal  from  those  of  the  other  insects  of  the 
same  genus.  The  imperial  moth,  Dryocampa  imperialu 
(Fig.  196),  has  wings  of  a  fine  yellow  color,  thickly  sprin- 
kled with  purple-brown  dots,  with  a  large  patch  at  the  base, 
a  small  round  spot  near  the  middle,  and  a  wavy  band  to- 
wards the  hinder  margin  of  each  wing,  of  a  light  purple- 


THE    IMPERIAL    MOTH. 


403 


404  LEPIDOPTERA. 

brown  color ;  in  the  males  there  is  another  purple-brown 
spot,  covering  nearly  the  whole  of  the  outer  hind  margin  of 
the  fore  wings,  and  united  to  the  band  near  that  part ;  the 
body  is  yellow,  shaded  with  purple-brown  on  the  back,  and 
with  three  spots  of  the  same  color  on  the  thorax.  It  ex- 
pands from  four  inches  and  a  half  to  more  than  five  inches. 
In  a  variety  of  this  moth,  of  which  I  have  a  colored  drawing 
done  by  Mr.  Abbot,  the  purple-brown  color  prevails  so  much 
as  to  cover  the  wings,  with  the  exception  only  of  a  large 
triangular  yellow  spot  contiguous  to  the  front  margin  of  each 
wing.  This  moth  appears  here  from  the  12th  of  June  to 
the  beginning  of  July,  and  then  lays  its  eggs  on  the  button- 
wood  tree. 

The  caterpillars  (Fig.  197)  may  be  found  upon  this  tree, 
grown  to  their  full  size,  between  the  20th  of  August  and 
the  end  of  September,  during  which  time  they  descend 
from  the  trees  to  go  into  the  ground.  They  are  then 
from  three  to  four  inches  in  length,  and  more  than  half  an 
inch  in  diameter,  and,  for  the  most  part,  of  a  green  color, 
slightly  tinged  with  red  on  the  back ;  but  many  of  them 
become  more  or  less  tanned  or  swarthy,  and  are  sometimes 
found  entirely  brown.  There  are  a  few  very  short  hairs 
thinly  scattered  over  the  body ;  the  head  and  the  legs  are 
pale  orange-colored;  the  oval  spiracles,  or  breathing-holes, 
on  the  sides,  are  large  and  white,  encircled  with  green ;  on 
each  of  the  rings,  except  the  first,  there  are  six  thorny  knobs 
or  hard  and  pointed  warts  of  a  yellow  color,  covered  with 
short  black  prickles  ;  the  two  uppermost  of  these  warts  on 
the  top  of  the  second  and  of  the  third  rings  are  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  or  more  in  length,  curved  backwards  like  horns,  and 
are  of  a  deeper  yellow  color  than  the  rest ;  the  three  triangu- 
lar pieces  on  the  posterior  extremity  of  the  body  are  brown, 
with  yellow  margins,  and  are  covered  with  raised  orange- 
colored  dots.  The  chrysalis,  which  is  not  contained  in  a 
cocoon,  is  about  two  inches  long,  of  a  dark  chestnut-brown 
color,  rough  with  little  elevated  points,  particularly  on  the 


THE    SENATORIAL    DRYOCAMPA.  405 

anterior  extremity,  ends  behind  with  a  long  forked  spine, 
and  is  surrounded,  on  each  ring,  with  a  notched  ridge,  the 
little  teeth  of  which  point  towards  the  tail.  Three  of  the 
grooves  or  incisions  between  the  rings  are  very  deep,  thus 
allowing  a  great  extent  of  motion  to  the  joints,  and  these, 
with  the  notched  ridges,  and  the  long  spine  at  the  end  of 
the  body,  enable  the  chrysalis  to  work  its  way  upwards  in 
the  earth,  above  the  surface  of  which  it  pushes  the  fore  part 
of  its  body  just  before  the  moth  makes  its  escape. 

Dryocampa,  oak  or  forest  caterpillar,  is  a  name  originally 
applied  by  me  to  certain  insects,  found  sometimes  in  great 
numbers  on  oak-trees,  which  then  suffer  very  severely  from 
their  ravages.  Of  these  caterpillars  there  are  several  kinds, 
resembling  each  other  in  shape,  and  in  the  form  and  situation 
of  the  thorns  with  which  they  are  armed,  but  differing  in 
color,  and  in  the  moths  produced  from  them.  They  live 
together  in  swarms,  but  do  not  make  webs ;  their  bodies  are 
cylindrical,  remarkably  hard  and  stiff,  naked  or  not  hairy, 
and  have,  on  each  ring,  about  six  short  thorns,  or  sharp 
points,  besides  two  on  the  top  of  the  second  ring,  which  are 
long,  slender,  and  threadlike,  but  not  flexible,  and  project 
in  the  manner  of  horns. 

r  ig. 

The  most  common  of  these 


caterpillars  (Fig.  198)  in 
Massachusetts  is  black,  with 
four  narrow  ochre-yellow  stripes  along  the  back,  and  two 
on  each  side.  It  is  found  in  swarms  of  several  hundreds 
together,  on  the  limbs  of  the  white  and  red  oaks,  during  the 
month  of  August.  The  eggs  from  which  they  proceed  are 
laid  in  large  clusters  on  the  under  side  of  a  leaf  near  the 
end  of  a  branch.  The  caterpillars  are  hatched  towards  the 
end  of  July,  but  sometimes  earlier,  and  at  other  times  later. 
At  first  they  eat  only  the  youngest  leaves  at  the  end  of  the 
branches  and  twigs,  and,  as  they  grow  larger  and  stronger, 
proceed  downwards,  devouring  every  leaf,  to  the  midrib  and 
foot-stalk,  from  one  end  of  the  branch  to  the  other.  They 


406  LEPIDOPTERA. 

have  their  regular  times  for  eating  and  for  rest,  and  when 
they  have  finished  their  meals,  they  cluster  closely  together 
along  the  twigs  and  branches.  If  disturbed,  they  raise  the 
fore  part  of  their  bodies,  and  shake  their  heads  to  signify 
their  displeasure.  When  fully  grown  they  measure  about 
two  inches  in  length.  Commonly  in  the  early  part  of  Sep- 
tember, they  crawl  down  the  trees  and  go  into  the  ground, 
to  the  depth  of  four  or  five  inches,  where  they  are  changed 
199.  to  chrysalids  (Fig.  199).  These  re- 

semble the  chrysalids  of  the  imperial 
Dryocampa,  but  are  much  smaller,  and 
like  them  they  remain  in  the  ground 
throughout  the  winter,  and  work  their  way  up  to  the  sur- 
face in  the  following  summer.  These  chrysalids  may  often 
be  seen  sticking  half-way  out  of  the  ground  under  oak-trees 
in  the  latter  part  of  June  and  the  beginning  of  July,  at 

which     time    the 

Fig.  200. 

moths  burst  them 
open  and  make 
their  escape.  Dry- 
ocampa senatoria 
(Fig.  200),  the 
senatorial  Dryo- 
campa, which  is 
the  name  of  this 
kind  of  moth,  is  of  an  ochre-yellow  color ;  the  wings  are 
faintly  tinged  with  purplish  red,  especially  on  the  front  and 
hind  margins,  and  are  crossed  by  a  narrow  purple-brown 
band  behind  the  middle ;  the  fore  wings  are  sprinkled  with 
blackish  dots,  and  have  a  small  round  white  spot  near  the 
middle.  The  male  is  much  smaller  than  the  female,  its 
wings  are  thinner,  and  more  tinged  with  dull  purple-red. 
It  expands  about  an  inch  and  three  quarters  ;  the  female, 
two  inches  and  a  half,  or  more. 

Three  more  kinds  of  Dryocampa  are  found  in  Massachu- 
setts, but  they  are  all  rare  in  this  State.      The  largest  of 


THE    CLEAR-WING    DRYOCAMPA. 

them  is  the  stigma  of  Fabricius,  or  spotted-wing  Dryocampa. 
It  is  of  a  reddish  ochre  or  deep  tawny  yellow  color;  the 
fore  wings  are  tinged  with  purplish  red  behind,  are  thickly 
sprinkled  with  blackish  dots,  have  a  small  round  white  spot 
near  the  middle,  and  a  narrow  oblique  purple-red  band  be- 
hind ;  the  hind  wings  have  a  narrow  transverse  purple  band, 
behind  which  the  border  is  sprinkled  with  a  few  black  dots. 
It  expands  from  one  inch  and  three  quarters  to  two  inches 
and  three  quarters.  The  caterpillar,  which  I  have  not  seen, 
is  figured  in  Mr  Abbot's  work,*  where  it  is  colored  yellow, 
with  black  thorns  on  its  back.  It  is  said  to  live  on  the  oak, 
in  swarms,  while  young,  but  these  disperse  as  the  insects 
grow  large. 

The  following  resembles  the  senatorial  Dryocampa ;  but 
is  rather  smaller,  and  is  a  more  delicate  moth.  The  color 
of  its  body  is  ochre-yellow ;  the  fore  wings  of  the  male  are 
purple-brown,  with  a  large  colorless  transparent  space  on  the 
middle,  near  which  is  a  small  round  white  spot,  and  towards 
the  hinder  margin  a  narrow  oblique  very  fault  dusky  stripe  ; 
the  hind  wings  are  purple-brown,  almost  transparent  in  the 
middle,  and  with  a  very  faint  transverse  dusky  stripe ;  the 
wings  of  the  female  are  purplish  red,  blended  with  ochre- 
yellow,  are  almost  transparent  in  the  middle,  and  have  the 
same  white  spots  and  faint  bands  as  those  of  the  male.  It 
expands  from  one  inch  and  three  quarters  to  two  inches  and 
a  quarter,  or  more,  in  some  females.  The  distinguishing 
name,  given  by  Sir  J.  E.  Smith,f  to  this  moth,  is  pettucida, 
and  we  may  call  it  the  pellucid  or  clear-wing  Dryocampa. 
I  have  only  once  seen  the  caterpillar,  which  was  found  on 
an  oak  on  the  25th  of  September.  It  was  about  the  size 
of  that  of  the  senatorial  Dryocampa,  and  resembled  it  in 
everything  but  color.  Its  head  was  rust-yellow,  its  body 
pea-green,  shaded  on  the  back  and  sides  with  red,  longitudi- 
nally striped  with  very  pale  yellowish  green,  and  armed  with 
black  thorns. 

*  Insects  of  Georgia,  p.  Ill,  pi.  56.  t  Ibid.,  p.  115,  pi.  58. 


408  LEPIDOPTERA. 

The  last  of  these  insects  is  the  rubicunda  (Fig.  201)  of 
Fabricius,  or  rosy  Dryocampa.  This  delicate  and  very  rare 
moth  is  found  in  Massachusetts  in  July.  Its  fore  wings 

are  rose-colored,  crossed  by 
a  broad  pale-yellow  band  ; 
the  hind  wings  are  pale  yel- 
low, with  a  short  rosy  band 
behind  the  middle ;  the  body 
is  yellow  ;  the  belly  and 
legs  are  rose-colored.  It 
expands  rather  more  than  one  inch  and  three  quarters.  The 
caterpillar  is  unknown  to  me.* 

All  the  Moth  caterpillars  thus  far  described  in  this  work 
live  more  or  less  exposed  to  view,  and  devour  the  leaves  of 
plants  ;  but  there  are  others  that  are  concealed  from  observa- 
tion in  stems  and  roots,  which  they  pierce  in  various  direc- 
tions, and  devour  only  the  wood  and  pith  ;  their  habits,  in 
this  respect,  being  exactly  like  those  of  the  ^Egerians  among 
the  Sphinges.  These  insects  belong  to  a  family  of  Bomby- 
ces,  by  some  naturalists  called  ZEUZERADJS,  and  by  others 
HEPIALTDJE,  both  names  derived  from  insects  included  in  the 
same  group.  The  caterpillars  of  the  Zeuzerians  are  white 
or  reddish  white,  soft  and  naked,  or  slightly  downy,  with 
brown  horny  heads,  a  spot  on  the  top  of  the  fore  part  of  the 
body  which  is  also  brown  and  hard,  and  sixteen  legs.  They 
make  imperfect  cocoons,  sometimes  of  silk,  and  sometimes 
of  morsels  of  wood  or  grains  of  earth  fastened  together  by 
gummy  silk.  Their  chrysalids,  like  those  of  the  Cerato- 

*  Only  one  more  North  American  Dryocampa  is  known  to  me.  This  moth  was 
taken  in  North  Carolina,  and  does  not  appear  to  have  been  described.  It  may  be 
called  Dryocampa  tricolor,  the  two-colored,  or  gray  and  red,  Dryocampa.  The 
upper  side  of  the  fore  wings  and  the  under  side  of  the  hind  wings  are  brownish 
gray,  sprinkled  with  black  dots,  and  with  a  small  round  white  spot  near  the 
middle,  and  a  narrow  oblique  dusky  band  behind  it  on  the  fore  wings;  the  upper 
side  of  the  hind  wings  and  the  under  side  of  the  fore  wings,  except  the  front  edge 
and  hinder  margin  of  the  latter,  are  crimson-red,  and  the  body  is  brownish  gray. 
The  male  expands  two  inches  and  a  quarter.  The  female  and  the  caterpillar  of 
this  insect  I  have  not  seen. 


THE    HOP-VINE    HEPIOLUS.  409 

campians,  are  provided  with  notched  transverse  ridges  on  the 
rings,  by  means  of  which  they  push  themselves  out  of  their 
holes  when  ready  to  be  transformed.  The  moths  differ  a 
good  deal  from  each  other,  although  the  appearance  and 
habits  of  the  caterpillars  are  so  much  alike.  The  antennae 
in  some  are  thread-like,  or  made  up  of  nearly  cylindrical 
joints  put  together  like  a  string  of  beads  ;  in  others  they  are 
more  tapering,  and  doubly  pectinated  or  toothed  on  the 
under  side,  at  least  in  the  males  ;  and  in  Zeuzera,  a  kind  of 
moth  not  hitherto  found  in  this  country,  the  antennae  resem- 
ble those  of  the  Ceratocampians,  being  half-feathered  in  the 
males,  and  not  feathered  in  the  females.  The  wings  are 

7  O 

rather  long  and  narrow,  and  are  strengthened  by  very  nu- 
merous veins.  The  female  is  provided  with  a  kind  of  tube 
at  the  end  of  the  body,  that  can  be  drawn  in  and  out,  by 
means  of  which  she  thrusts  her  eggs  into  the  chinks  of  the 
bark  or  into  the  earth  at  the  roots  of  plants. 

Of  the  root-eaters  there  is  one  kind  which  is  very  injurious 
to  the  hop-vine  in  Europe.  It  is  called  Hepiolus  humuli, 
the  hop- vine  Hepiolus.  The  caterpillar  is  yellowish  white ; 
the  head,  a  spot  on  the  top  of  the  first  and  second  rings,  and 
the  six  fore  legs  are  shining  brown,  and  it  is  nearly  naked, 
or  has  only  a  few  short  hairs  scattered  over  its  body.  It 
lives  in  the  roots  of  the  hop,  and,  when  about  to  transform, 
buries  itself  in  the  ground,  and  makes  a  long,  cylindrical 
cocoon  or  case,  composed  of  grains  of  earth  held  together 
by  a  loose  silken  web.  The  chrysalis  has  transverse  rows 
of  little  teeth  on  the  backs  of  the  abdominal  rings,  and  by 
means  of  them  it  finally  works  its  way  out  of  the  cocoon  and 
rises  to  the  surface  of  the  earth ;  this  being  done,  the  includ- 
ed moth  bursts  its  chrysalis  shell,  and  comes  forth  into  the 
open  air.  In  moths  of  this  kind  (genus  Hepiolus)  the  an- 
tennae are  very  short,  slender,  almost  thread-like,  and  not 
feathered  or  pectinated ;  the  tongue  is  wanting  or  invisible ; 
and  the  feelers  are  excessively  small,  and  concealed  in  a  tuft 
of  hairs. 

52 


410  LEPIDOPTERA. 

The  hop-vine  Hepiolus  has  not  yet  been  detected  in  Mas- 
sachusetts ;  but  we  have  a  much  larger  species,  known  to 
me  only  in  the  moth  state,  which  is  the  reason  of  my  hav- 
ing given  the  foregoing  account  of  the  preparatory  stages 
of  a  European  species.  This  moth  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  described.  It  is  named  in  my  Catalogue  of  the  In- 
sects of  Massachusetts,  Hepiolus  argenteo-maculatus  (Fig. 
202),  the  silver-spotted  Hepiolus.  Its  body  and  wings  are 

Fig.  202. 


rather  long.  It  is  of  an  ashen-gray  color;  the  fore  wings 
are  variegated  with  dusky  clouds  and  bands,  and  have  a 
small  triangular  spot  and  a  round  dot  of  a  silvery  white  color 
near  their  base ;  the  hind  wings  are  tinged  with  ochre-yellow 
towards  the  tip.  It  expands  two  inches  and  three  quarters. 
A  much  larger  specimen  was  found  by  Professor  Agassiz 
near  Lake  Superior.* 

The  locust-tree,  Robinia  pseudacacia,  is  preyed  upon  by 
three  different  kinds  of  wood-eaters  or  borers,  whose  un- 
checked ravages  seem  to  threaten  the  entire  destruction  and 
extermination  of  this  valuable  tree  within  this  part  of  the 
United  States.  One  of  these  borers  is  a  little  reddish  cater- 
pillar, whose  operations  are  confined  to  the  small  branches 
and  to  very  young  trees,  in  the  pith  of  which  it  lives  ;  and 
by  its  irritation  it  causes  the  twig  to  swell  around  the  part 
attacked.  These  swellings  being  spongy,  and  also  perforated 

*  See  a  figure  of  it  in  his  "  Lake  Superior,"  pi.  7,  fig.  6. 


THE    LOCUST-TREE    BORERS.  411 

by  the  caterpillar,  are  weaker  than  the  rest  of  the  stem, 
which  therefore  easily  breaks  off  at  these  places.  My  at- 
tempts to  complete  the  history  of  this  insect  have  not  been 
successful  hitherto. 

The  second  kind  of  borer  of  the  locust-tree  is  larger 
than  the  foregoing,  is  a  grub,  and  not  a  caterpillar,  which 
finally  turns  to  the  beetle  named  Clytus  pictus,  the  paint- 
ed Clytus,  already  described  on  a  preceding  page  of  this 
work. 

The  third  of  the  wood-eaters  to  which  the  locust-tree  is 
exposed,  though  less  common  than  the  others,  and  not  so 
universally  destructive  to  the  tree  as  the  painted  Clytus,  is  a 
very  much  larger  borer,  and  is  occasionally  productive  of  great 
injury,  especially  to  full-grown  and  old  trees,  for  which  it 
appears  to  have  a  preference.  It  is  a  true  caterpillar  (Fig. 
203),  belonging  to  the  tribe  of  moths  under  consideration, 

Fig.  203. 


is  reddish  above,  and  white  beneath,  with  the  head  and  top 
of  the  first  ring  brown  and  shelly,  and  there  are  a  few  short 
hairs  arising  from  minute  warts  thinly  scattered  over  the 
surface  of  the  body.  When  fully  grown,  it  measures  two 
inches  and  a  half,  or  more,  in  length,  and  is  nearly  as  thick 
as  the  end  of  the  little  finger.  These  caterpillars  bore  the 
tree  in  various  directions,  but  for  the  most  part  obliquely 
upwards  and  downwards  through  the  solid  wood,  enlarging 
the  holes  as  they  increase  in  size,  and  continuing  them 
through  the  bark  to  the  outside  of  the  trunk.  Before  trans- 
forming, they  line  these  passages  with  a  web  of  silk,  and, 
retiring  to  some  distance  from  the  orifice,  they  spin  around 
their  bodies  a  closer  web,  or  cocoon,  within  which  they 
assume  the  chrysalis  form.  The  chrysalis  (Fig.  204)  meas- 


41*J  LEPIDOPTERA. 

ures  one  inch  and  a  half  or  two  inches  in  length,  is  of  an 

amber  color,  changing  to  brown 
on  the  fore  part  of  the  body ; 
and  on  the  upper  side  of  each 
abdominal  ring  are  two  trans- 
verse rows  of  tooth-like  projec- 
tions. By  the  help  of  these,  the  insect,  when  ready  for  its 
last  transformation,  works  its  way  to  the  mouth  of  its  bur- 
row, where  it  remains  while  the  chrysalis  skin  is  rent,  upon 
which  it  comes  forth  on  the  trunk  of  the  tree  a  winged 
moth.  In  this  its  perfected  state,  it  is  of  a  gray  color ;  the 
fore  wings  are  thickly  covered  with  dusky  netted  lines  and 
irregular  spots,  the  hind  wings  are  more  uniformly  dusky, 
and  the  shoulder-covers  are  edged  with  black  on  the  inside. 
It  expands  about  three  inches.  The  male,  which  is  much 
smaller,  and  has  been  mistaken  for  another  species,  is  much 
darker  than  the  female,  from  which  it  differs  also  in  having 
a  large  ochre-yellow  spot  on  the  hind  wings,  contiguous  to 
their  posterior  margin.  Professor  Peck,  who  first  made 
public  the  history  of  this  insect,*  named  it  Cossus  Robinice, 
the  Cossus  of  the  locust-tree,  scientifically  called  Robinia. 
It  is  supposed  by  Professor  Peck  to  remain  three  years  in 
the  caterpillar  state.  The  moth  comes  forth  about  the  mid- 
dle of  July.  The  same  insect,  or  one  not  to  be  distin- 
guished from  it  while  a  caterpillar,  perforates  the  trunks  ot 
the  red  oak.  Mr.  Newman  f  has  recently  given  the  name 
of  Xyleutes,  the  carpenter,  to  the  genus  including  this  insect, 
instead  of  Cossus^  which  it  formerly  bore,  because  the  latter, 
being  the  name  of  a  species,  ought  not  to  have  been  applied 
to  a  genus.  The  European  carpenter-moth,  called  Bombyx 
Cossus  $  by  Linnaeus,  will  now  be  the  Xyleutes  Cossus; 
and  our  indigenous  species  will  be  the  Xyleutes  Robinice 

*  See  "  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Repository  and  Journal,"  Vol.  V.,  p.  67, 
with  a  plate. 

t  See  "  Entomological  Magazine,"  Vol.  V.,  p.  129. 
\  Subsequently  named  Cottut  lignipenia  by  Fabricius. 


THE    LOCUST-TREE    CARPENTER-MOTH. 


413 


(Fig.  205),  or  locust-tree  carpenter-moth.  The  moths  of 
this  genus  have  thick  and  robust  bodies,  broad  and  thickly- 
veined  wings,  two  very  distinct  feelers,  and  antennae,  which 


Fig.  205. 


are  furnished  on  the  under  side,  in  both  sexes,  with  a  double 
set  of  short  teeth,  rather  longer  in  the  male  than  in  the 
female.  Their  tongue  is  invisible.  They  give  out  a  strong 
and  peculiar  smell,  whence  they  are  sometimes  called  goat- 
moths  by  English  writers. 

Some  caterpillars,  which  eat  the  leaves  of  plants,  live  in 
cases  or  long  oval  cocoons,  open  at  both  ends,  and  large 
enough  for  the  insects  to  turn  around  within  them,  so  as  to 
go  out  of  either  end.  They  do  not  entirely  leave  these  cases, 
even  when  moving  from  place  to  place,  but  cling  to  them  on 
the  inside  with  the  legs  of  the  hinder  part  of  their  bodies, 
while  their  heads  and  fore  legs  are  thrust  out.  Thus  in 
moving  they  creep  with  their  six  fore  legs  only,  and  drag 
along  their  cases  after  them  as  they  go.  These  cases  are 
made  of  silk  within,  and  are  covered  on  the  outside  with 
leaves,  bits  of  straw,  or  little  sticks.  The  caterpillars  are 
nearly  cylindrical,  generally  soft  and  whitish,  except  the 
head  and  upper  part  of  the  first  three  rings,  which  are  brown 
and  hard ;  they  have  sixteen  legs  ;  the  first  three  pairs  are 
long,  strong,  and  armed  with  stout  claws  ;  the  others  'are 
very  short,  consisting  merely  of  slight  wart-like  elevations 


414  LEPIDOPTERA. 

provided  with  numerous  minute  clinging  hooks.  When  they 
are  about  to  change  their  forms,  their  cases  serve  them  in- 
stead of  cocoons;  they  fasten  them  by  silken  threads  to 
the  plant  on  which  they  live,  stop  up  the  holes  in  them,  and 
then  throw  off  their  caterpillar-skins.  The  chrysalids  are 
remarkably  blunt  at  the  liinder  extremity,  and  are  provided 
with  transverse  rows  of  minute  teeth  on  the  back  of  the  ab- 
dominal rings.  The  moths,  of  which  there  are  several  kinds 
produced  by  these  case-bearing  caterpillars,  differ  very  much 
from  each  other ;  but,  as  they  all  agree  in  their  habits  and 
general  appearance  while  in  the  caterpillar  form,  they  are 
brought  together  in  one  family  called  PSYCH AD^;,  the  Psy- 
chians,  from  Psyche,  a  genus  belonging  to  it.  The  Germans 
give  these  insects  a  more  characteristic  name,  that  of  Sack- 
triiger*  that  is,  sack-bearers,  and  Hiibner  called  them  Cane- 
phorce,  or  basket-carriers,  because  the  cases  of  some  of  them 
are  made  of  little  sticks  somewhat  like  a  wicker  basket. 
The  cases  of  the  insects  belonging  to  the  European  genus 
Psyche  are  covered  with  small  leaves,  bits  of  grass  or  of 
sticks,  placed  lengthwise  on  them.  The  chrysalis  of  the 
male  Psyche  pushes  itself  half-way  out  of  the  case  when 
about  to  set  free  the  moth;  the  female,  on  the  contrary, 
never  leaves  its  cocoon,  is  not  provided  with  wings,  and 
its  antennae  and  legs  are  very  short.  The  male  Psyche 
resembles  somewhat  the  same  sex  of  Orgyia,  having  pretty 
broad  wings,  and  antennae  that  are  doubly  feathered  on  the 
under  side ;  it  has  also  a  bristle  and  hook  to  hold  the  wings 
together.  The  cases  of  Oiketicus,^  another  and  much  larger 
kind  of  sack-bearer,  inhabiting  the  West  Indies  and  South 
America,  are  covered  with  pieces  of  leaves  and  of  sticks 
arranged  either  longitudinally  or  transversely.  The  cases 
of  some  of  the  females  measure  four  or  five  inches  in  length. 
Some  which  I  received  from  Cuba  were  covered  with  little 

•  .See  Germar's  "  Magazin  der  Entomologie,"  Vol.  I.  p.  19. 
t  This  name  ought  to  be  (Eceticiu.     See  Mr.  Guilding's  description  of  the 
insect  in  the  "  Transactions  of  the  Linnsean  Society,"  Vol.  XV. 


MELSHEIMER'S    SACK-BEARER.  415 

bits  of  sticks,  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long,  arranged 
transversely,  and  the  cases  were  hung  by  a  thick  silken  loop 
or  ring  to  a  twig;  the  lower  end  of  these  cases  was  filled 
with  a  large  quantity  of  loose  and  very  soft  brownish  floss- 
silk,  which  completely  closed  the  orifice  within.  The  male 
Oiketicus  resembles  a  Zeuzera  in  the  form  and  great  length 
of  its  body,  in  the  shape  of  its  wings,  and  in  its  antennae, 
and  in  both  the  latter  it  resembles  also  the  same  sex  of  a 
Dryocampa,  particularly  in  its  antenna?,  which  are  feathered 
on  both  sides  on  the  lower  part  of  the  stalk,  and  are  bare  at 
the  other  end.  The  female  has  neither  wings,  antennae,  nor 
legs,  and  is  said  to  remain  always  within  its  cocoon.  Some 
years  ago,  a  case  or  cocoon  of  an  Oiketicus,  which  was  found 
on  Long  Island,  was  presented  to  me.  It  was  smaller  than 
the  West  Indian  specimens,  measuring  only  an  inch  and  a 
half  without  its  loop,  and  was  covered  with  a  few  little  sticks 
longitudinally  arranged.  It  contained  a  female  chrysalis, 
with  the  remains  of  the  caterpillar.  In  Philadelphia  and  the 
vicinity,  cases  of  a  similar  kind  are  very  common  on  many 
of  the  trees,  particularly  on  the  arbor-vitae,  larch,  and  hem- 
lock, which  are  often  very  much  injured  by  the  insects  in- 
habiting them.  These  are  there  popularly  called  drop-worms 
and  basket-worms. 

We  have  in  Massachusetts  another  sack-bearer,  which 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  described,  and  differs  so  much 
both  from  Psyche  and  Oiketicus,  when  arrived  at  maturity, 
as  to  induce  me  to  give  it  another  generical  name.  I  there- 
fore call  it  Perophora  Melsheimerii*  Melsheimer's  sack-bearer 
(Plate  VI.  Fig.  5).  A  case  of  this  insect,  containing  a 
living  caterpillar,  was  brought  to  me  towards  the  end  of 
September,  by  a  student  of  Harvard  College,  Mr.  H.  O. 
White,  who  found  it  on  an  oak-tree  in  Cambridge.  This 
case  (Plate  VI.  Fig.  4)  was  nearly  an  inch  and  a  half  long, 

*  Named  in  honor  of  Dr.  F.  E.  Melsheimer  (the  son  of  the  Rev.  F.  V.  Melshei- 
mer,  the  father  of  American  Entomology,  as  he  has  been  called),  from  whom  I 
have  received  specimens  of  this  insect,  and  its  curious  case. 


416  LEPIDOPTERA. 

and  about  half  an  inch  in  diameter.  It  was  not  regularly 
oval,  but  somewhat  flattened  on  its  lower  side.  It  consisted 
externally  of  two  oblong  oval  pieces  of  a  leaf,  fastened  to- 
gether in  the  neatest  manner  by  their  edges,  but  the  seams 
made  a  little  ridge  on  each  side  of  the  case  ;  this  had  become 
dry  and  faded,  and  was  lined  within  with  a  thick  and  tough 
layer  of  brownish  silk,  in  which  there  was  left,  at  each  end, 
a  circular  opening  just  big  enough  for  the  caterpillar  to  pass 
through.  The  caterpillar  (Fig.  206)  was 
cylindrical,  about  as  thick  as  a  common 
pipe-stem,  of  a  light  reddish-brown  color 
with  a  paler  line  along  the4  back ;  it  was 
rough  with  little  elevated  points ;  its  head 
and  the  top  of  the  first  ring  were  black, 
hard,  and  rough  also.  The  head  was  provided  with  a  pair 
of  jointed  feelers,  which  the  insect  extended  and  drew  in  at 
pleasure,  and  which,  when  they  were  out,  were  kept  in  con- 
tinual motion.  On  each  side  of  the  middle  of  the  head, 
there  was  a  black  and  flexible  kind  of  antenna,  very  slender 
where  it  joined  the  head,  and  broader  towards  the  end,  like 
the  handle  of  a  spoon.  The  first  three  pairs  of  legs  were 
equal  in  length,  and  armed  with  stout  horny  claws.  The 
other  legs,  if  such  they  could  be  called,  were  ten  in  number, 
and  so  short  that  only  the  oval  soles  of  the  feet  were  visi- 
ble, and  these  were  surrounded  by  numerous  minute  hooks. 
The  tail  end  of  the  body  was  as  blunt  as  if  it  had  been  cut 
off  with  a  knife ;  it  sloped  a  little  backwards,  and  consisted 
of  a  circular  horny  plate,  of  a  dark  gray  color,  which,  when 
the  caterpillar  retired  within  its  case,  exactly  shut  up  one  of 
the  holes  in  it.  This  caterpillar  eat  the  leaves  of  the  oak, 
and  fed  mostly  by  night ;  while  eating,  it  came  half-way,  or 
more,  out  of  its  cocoon  ;  and  in  moving  laid  hold  of  the  leaf 
with  its  fore  legs,  and  then  shortened  its  body  suddenly,  so 
as  to  bring  its  cocoon  after  it  with  a  jerk  ;  and,  in  this  way, 
it  went  by  jerks  from  place  .to  place.  When  it  had  done 
eating,  it  moored  its  case  to  a  leaf  by  a  few  silken  threads 


MELSHEIMER'S    SACK-BEARER.  417 

fastened  to  one,  and  sometimes  to  both  ends ;  and  before 
moving  again,  it  came  out  and  bit  off  these  threads  close  to 
the  case.     It  could  turn  round  easily  within  its  case,  and  go 
out  of  either  end,  as  occasion  required.     So  tenaciously  did 
it  cling  to  the  inside  of  its  case  with  the  little  hooks  of  its 
hinder  feet,  that  all  attempts  to  make  it  come  wholly  out, 
except  by  a  force  which  would  have  been  fatal  to  the  insect, 
were  without  effect.     This  kind  of  caterpillar  prepares  for 
transformation  by  fastening   both  ends    of  its    cocoon  to  a 
branch,  and  then  stops  up  each  of  the  holes  in  it  with  a  little 
circular  silken  lid,  exactly  fitting  the  orifice,  and  made  about 
the  thickness  of  common  brown  paper.     There  is  no  great 
difference  in  the  size  or  form  of  the  chrysalids  which  produce 
the  male  and  female  moths ;  they  are  about  three  quarters 
of  an  inch  in  length  ;  on  both  of  them  the  sheaths  for  the 
wings,  antennae,  and  legs  are  alike,  and  are  as  plainly  to  be 
seen   as    on   the   chrysalids    of  other  winged   moths.     The 
chrysalis  tapers  very  little,  and  does  not  end  with  a  point, 
but  is  blunt  behind ;  and  on  the  edge  of  each  of  the  rings 
of  the  back,  there  is  a  transverse  row  of  little  pointed  teeth 
which  shut  into  corresponding  notches  in  the  ring  immedi- 
ately behind  them.     These  teeth  are  evidently  designed  to 
enable  the  chrysalis  to  move  towards  the  mouth  of  its  case, 
and  to  hold  with,  when  it  is  engaged  in  forcing  off  the  lid 
in  order  to  allow  of  the  escape  of  the  moth.     I  do  not  know 
at  what  time  the  moths  come  out  in  Massachusetts  ;  they 
have  been  taken  in  July  in  Virginia.     Both  sexes  leave  their 
cocoons  when  arrived  at  maturity,  and  both  are  provided 
with  wings.     Their  feelers  are  of  moderate  size,  cylindrical, 
blunt-pointed,  and  thickly  covered  with  scales.     The  tongue 
is  not  visible.     Their  antennae  are  curved,  and  are  recurved 
or  bent  upwards  at  the  point;  the  stalk  is  feathered,  in  a 
double  row,  on  the  under  side,  very  widely  in  the  males,  for 
more  than  half  its  length,  and  beyond  the  middle  the  feath- 
ery fringe  is  suddenly  narrowed,  and  tapers  thence  to  the 
tip ;  in  the  females  (Plate  VI.  Fig.  5)  the  antennae  are  also 

53 


418  LEPIDOPTERA. 

doubly  feathered,  but  the  fringe  is  narrower  throughout  than 
in  the  other  sex.  The  body  and  the  wings  almost  exactly 
resemble  those  of  the  foreign  silk-worm  moth  in  shape ;  but 
the  fore  wings  are  rather  more  pointed  and  hooked  at  the  tip. 
There  are  no  bristles  and  hooks  to  hold  together  the  wings, 
which,  when  at  rest,  cover  the  sides  like  a  sloping  roof,  and 
the  front  edge  of  the  hind  wings  does  not  project  beyond  that 
of  the  fore  wings.  These  moths  are  of  a  reddish-gray  color, 
finely  sprinkled  all  over  with  minute  black  dots ;  the  pos- 
terior margin  of  the  hind  wings  above,  and  the  under  side 
of  the  fore  wings,  especially  behind  the  tip,  are  tinged  with 
tawny  red ;  there  is  a  small  black  dot  near  the  middle  of 
the  fore  wings  ;  and  both  the  fore  and  hind  wings  are  crossed 
by  a  narrow  blackish  band,  beginning  with  an  angle  on  the 
front  edge  of  the  former,  and  passing  obliquely  backwards 
to  the  inner  edge  of  the  hind  wings.  They  expand  from 
one  inch  and  tliree  eighths  to  two  inches,  or  a  little  more. 

The  last  family  of  the  Bombyces  remaining  to  be  noticed 
may  be  called  Notodontians  (NOTODONTAD^E).  Many  of  the 
caterpillars  belonging  to  it  have  hunched  backs,  or  tooth-like 
prominences  on  the  back  ;  and  hence  the  origin  of  the  name 
of  this  family,  which  comes  from  a  word  signifying  toothed 
back.  Most  of  these  caterpillars  are  entirely  naked ;  some 
of  them  are  downy  or  slightly  hairy,  but  the  hairs  generally 
grow  immediately  from  the  skin,  and  not  in  spreading  clus- 
ters from  little  warts  on  the  rings.  They  have  sixteen  legs  ; 
some  raise  the  last  pair  when  at  rest,  and  some  keep  these 
always  elevated  and  do  not  use  them  in  creeping,  in  which 
case  these  terminal  legs  are  lengthened,  and  form  a  forked 
appendage  or  tail  to  the  hinder  part  of  the  body.  Hence 
such  caterpillars  are  often  described  as  having  only  fourteen 
legs,  although  the  wanting  members  really  exist  in  a  modified 
form.  Moreover,  the  caterpillars  of  some  of  the  Notodon- 
tians seem  to  be  without  legs,  and  even  on  close  examination 
only  the  soles  of  the  feet  can  be  perceived.  The  Notodon- 
tians are  found  chiefly  on  trees  and  shrubs,  the  leaves  of 


THE    LIMACODES.  419 

which  they  eat.  When  about  to  be  transformed,  the  most 
of  them  enclose  themselves  in  cocoons,  which  are  often  very 
hard  and  thick,  made  either  of  silk,  or  of  silk  mixed  with- 
fragments  of  wood  and  bark  ;  some  make  thin,  semi-trans- 
parent, and  filmy  cocoons  under  a  covering  of  leaves ;  some 
merely  cover  themselves  with  grains  of  earth,  held  together 
by  silken  threads  ;  and  a  very  few  go  into  the  ground  to 
transform,  without  making  cocoons.  The  chrysalids  taper 
behind,  and  are  not  provided  with  transverse  notched  ridges 
on  the  back.  The  moths  close  their  wings  over  the  sides 
of  the  body  like  a  sloping  roof,  when  at  rest ;  but  the  front 
edges  of  the  hind  wings  never  extend  beyond  those  of  the 
fore  wings,  and  the  bristles  and  hooks  for  holding  the  wings 
together  are  never  wanting.  The  antennae  are  rather  long  ; 
those  of  the  males  are  generally  doubly  feathered  on  the 
under  side  ;  but  the  feathery  fringe  is  often  very  narrow 
towards  the  tips,  and  in  the  females  is  always  narrower 
than  in  the  other  sex  ;  in  a  few  of  both  sexes  the  antennae 
are  not  feathered  at  all.  The  feelers  and  tongue,  though 
short,  are  generally  visible.  The  body  is  rather  long,  and 
not  very  thick.  In  what  follows,  a  few  only  of  the  most 
remarkable  species  will  be  described. 

Among  the  many  odd-shaped  caterpillars  belonging  to 
this  family,  not  the  least  remarkable  are  those  which  are 
called  LIMACODES,  that  is,  slug-like,  on  account  of  their 
seeming  want  of  feet,  their  very  slow  gliding  motions,  and 
the  slug-like  form  of  some  of  them.  In  these  caterpillars 
the  body  is  very  short  and  thick,  and  approaches  more  or 
less  to  an  oval  form ;  it  is  naked,  or,  in  some  kinds,  covered 
only  with  short  down  ;  the  head  is  small,  and  can  be  drawn 
in  and  concealed  under  the  first  ring ;  the  six  fore  legs  are 
also  small  and  retractile ;  and  the  other  legs  consist  only 
of  little  fleshy  elevations,  without  claws  or  hooks.  The 
under  side  of  the  body  is  smeared  with  a  sticky  fluid,  which 
seems  designed  to  render  their  footing  more  secure,  and 
leaves  a  slimy  track  wherever  the  insects  go.  Their  co- 

53* 


420  LEPIDOPTERA. 

coons  are  very  small,  almost  round,  tough,  and  parchment- 
like,  and  are  fastened  to  the  twigs  of  the  plants  on  which 
the  insects  live.  The  moths  of  some,  if  not  of  all,  of  the 
Limacodes  make  their  escape  by  pushing  off  one  end  of  the 
cocoon,  which  separates  like  a  little  circular  lid. 

The  most  common  of  these  slug-caterpillars,  in  Massa 
chusetts,  live  on  walnut-trees.  They  come  to  their  full 
size  in  September  and  October,  and  then  measure  five  eighths 
of  an  inch  in  length,  and  rather  more  than  three  eighths 
across  the  middle.  The  body  is  thick,  and  its  outline  nearly 
diamond-shaped  ;  the  back  is  a  little  hollowed,  and  the  mid- 
dle of  each  side  rises  to  an  obtuse  angle ;  it  is  of  a  green 
color,  with  the  elevated  edges  brown.  The  boat-like  form 
of  this  caterpillar  induced  me  to  name  it  Limacodes  Scapha, 
the  skiff  Limacodes,  in  my  "  Catalogue  of  the  Insects  of 
Massachusetts."  My  specimens  generally  died  after  they 
had  made  their  cocoons,  and  consequently  the  moth  is  un- 
known to  me. 

The  moth  of  a  Limacodes,  called  Cippus  *  (Fig.  207)  by 
Sir  J.  E.   Smith,   is  sometimes  found 

Kg.  207. 

in  Massachusetts,  from  the  middle  of 
July  till  the  10th  of  August.  It  is 
of  a  reddish-brown  color ;  on  each  of 
the  fore  wings  there  is  a  small  dark 
brown  dot  near  the  middle,  and  a  broad 
wavy  green  band  beginning  at  the  base,  and  bending  round 
till  it  touches  the  front  margin  near  the  tip  ;  behind  a  deep 
notch  of  this  band,  near  the  base  of  the  wing,  there  is  a 
triangular  tawny  spot,  and  another  smaller  one  near  the 
tip.  The  green  band  is  sometimes  broken  into  three  tri- 
angular green  spots,  the  middle  one  of  which  is  wanting 
in  some  specimens.  One  half  of  the  stalk  of  the  antennae 
of  the  male  is  doubly  feathered  beneath ;  the  remainder  to 

*  Probably  not  the  true  Cippus  of  Fabricius,  which  is  found  in  Surinam. 
There  is  a  figure  of  our  species  in  GueVin's  "  Iconographie  du  Regne  Animal," 
where  it  is  named  Limacodes  Delphinii,  but  for  what  reason  I  know  not,  for  it 
doe*  not  live  on  the  Delphinium  or  larkspur. 


THE    HAG-MOTH.  421 

the  tip  is  bare.  The  antennas  of  the  female  are  thread-like 
and  not  fringed.  The  wings  expand  from  one  inch  to  one 
inch  and  one  eighth.  The  caterpillar  figured  by  Mr.  Abbot* 
is  oblong  oval,  striped  with  purple  and  yellow,  with  twelve 
fleshy  horns,  of  an  orange  color,  on  the  sides  of  its  back, 
namely,  six  on  the  fore  part,  two  on  the  middle,  and  four 
on  the  hind  part  of  the  body.  Mr.  Abbot  says  that  it  eats 
the  leaves  of  the  dogwood  (Cornus  Florida),  oak,  and  of 
other  trees  ;  that  it  makes  its  cocoon  in  September,  and 
that  the  moth  comes  out  in  July. 

A  still  more  extraordinary  slug-caterpillar  (Fig.  208), 
having  a  very  remote  resemblance  to  the  last, 
has  been  found  here  on  forest-trees,  and  oc- 
casionally in  considerable  numbers  on  cherry- 
trees  and  apple-trees,  from  July  to  Septem- 
ber. It  is  of  a  dark  brown  color,  and  is  covered  with  a 
short  velvet-like  down  ;  its  body  is  almost  oblong  square, 
but  the  sides  of  the  rings  extend  horizontally  in  the  form 
of  flattened  teeth  ;  three  of  these  teeth  on  each  side,  that 
is,  one  on  the  fore  part,  the  middle,  and  the  hind  part  of 
the  body,  are  much  longer  than  the  others,  and  are  curved 
backwards  at  the  end.  When  fully  grown,  the  caterpillar 
measures  nearly  an  inch  in  length.  It  does  not  bear  con- 
finement well,  and  often  dies  before  completing  its  trans- 
formations. Dr.  Melsheimer,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for 
one  of  the  moths,  informs  me  that  the  caterpillar  eats  the 
leaves  of  the  wild  cherry,  as  well  as  those  of  the  white  and 
red  oak,  that  it  makes  its  cocoon  (Fig. 

Fie   209 

209)  about  the  middle  of  September, 
changes  to  a  chrysalis  the  following  April, 
and  that  the  moth  appears  in  about  eight 
weeks  afterwards.  The  name  given  to 
this  insect  by  Sir  J.  E.  Smith  f  is  piihe- 
cium,  the  meaning  of  which  is  a  shriv- 
elled and  monkey-faced  old  woman,  bestowed  upon  it  prob- 

*  Lisects  of  Georgia,  p.  145,  pi.  73.  t  Ibid.,  p.  147,  pi.  74. 


422  LEPIDOPTERA. 

ably  on  account  of  the  shrivelled  appearance  and  dark  color 
of  the  caterpillar.  In  its  winged  state,  Limacodes  piihecium, 
or  the  hag-moth,  as  it  may  be  called,  is  of  a  dusky  brown 
color ;  its  fore  wings  are  variegated  with  light  yellowish 
brown,  and  with  a  narrow  curved  and  wavy  band,  of  the 
same  light  color,  edged  externally  with  dark  brown  near 
the  outer  margin,  and  a  light  brown  spot  near  the  middle  ; 
the  fringes  of  all  the  wings  are  spotted  with  light  brown  ; 
the  legs  are  covered  with  long  hairs  ;  the  antennae,  in 
both  sexes,  are  slender,  almost  thread-like,  and  not  feath- 
ered. It  expands  from  nearly  one  inch  to  one  inch  and  a 
quarter. 

There  is  a  kind  of  caterpillar,  found  in  July  and  August 
on  the  balsam  poplar,  and  sometimes  on  other  poplars  and 
willows,  whose  form,  posture,  and  motions  are  so  odd  as 
at  once  to  arrest  attention.  Its  body  is  naked,  short,  and 
thick,  tapers  behind,  and  ends  with  a  forked  kind  of  tail, 
which  is  held  upwards  at  an  obtuse  angle  with  the  rest  of 
the  body.  This  forked  tail,  which  takes  the  place  of  the 
hindmost  pair  of  legs,  the  others  being  only  fourteen  in 
number,  is  not  used  with  the  latter  in  creeping,  and  consists 
of  two  movable  hollow  tubes,  within  each  of  which  is  con- 
cealed a  long  orange-colored  thread,  that  the  insect  can  push 
out  and  draw  in  at  pleasure.  The  feet  are  short  and  small ; 
the  head  is  small,  of  a  purple  color,  and  can  be  drawn 
under  the  front  part  of  the  first  ring ;  the  body  is  green, 
with  a  triangular  purple  spot  on  the  top  of  the  fore  part, 
and  a  large  diamond-shaped  patch,  of  the  same  color,  cov- 
ering the  back  and  middle  of  the  sides  like  a  mantle,  and 
prolonged  beliind  to  the  tail.  When  young,  these  caterpil- 
lars have,  on  the  top  of  the  first  ring,  two  little  prickly 
warts,  which  disappear  after  one  or  two  changes  of  the  skin. 
When  teased  by  being  touched,  or  irritated  by  flies,  the  cat- 
erpillar runs  out  the  threads  from  its  forked  tail,  which  it 
jerks  forwards  so  as  to  lash  the  sides  of  its  body  and  whip 
off  the  intruder.  When  fully  grown,  it  measures  sometimes 


THE    FORK-TAIL    MOTH.  423 

an  inch  and  a  half  in  length,  without  including  the  terminal 
fork.  Caterpillars  of  this  kind  are  called  Cerura,  horned- 
tail,  by  some,  and  Dicranura,  forked-tail,  by  other  natural- 
ists. Early  in  August  the  one  above  described  makes  a 
tough  cocoon  of  bits  of  wood  and  bark  glued  together  with 
a  sticky  matter,  and  fastened  to  the  side  of  a  branch,  the 
lower  side  being  flat  and  the  upper  convex.  The  last  trans- 
formation occurs  about  the  middle  of  June,  when,  after  the 
end  of  the  cocoon  has  been  softened  by  a  liquid  thrown  out 
by  the  insect  within,  the  moth  forces  its  way  through.  This 
insect  has  been  figured  in  Mr.  Abbot's  work,*  where  it  is 
called  furcula,  a  name,  however,  which  belongs  to  an  Euro- 
pean insect.  It  is  also  represented  in  Guerin's  "  Icono- 
graphie,"  and  in  Griffith's  translation  of  Cuvier's  "  Animal 
Kingdom  "  ;  and  I  have  adopted  the  specific  name  given  to 
it  by  Dr.  Boisduval  in  these  works.  CERURA  borealis,  the 
northern  Cerura,  or  fork-tail  moth,  like  others  of  the  genus, 
has  the  antennas  feathered  in  both  sexes,  but  narrow,  and 
tapering  and  bent  upwards  at  the  point ;  the  legs,  especially 
the  first  pair,  which  are  stretched  out  before  the  body  when 
at  rest,  are,  like  those  of  our  native  Limacodes,  very  hairy  ; 
and  the  wings  are  thin  and  almost  transparent.  The  ground- 
color of  our  moth  is  a  dirty  white ;  the  fore  wings  are 
crossed  by  two  broad  blackish  bands,  the  outer  one  of  which 
is  traversed  and  interrupted  by  an  irregular  wavy  whitish 
line  ;  the  hinder  margins  of  all  the  wings  are  dotted  with 
black,  and  there  are  several  black  dots  at  the  base,  and  a 
single  one  near  the  middle  of  the  fore  wings  ;  the  top  of 
the  thorax  is  blackish,  and  the  collar  is  edged  with  black. 
In  some  individuals  the  dusky  bands  of  the  fore  wings  are 
edged  or  dotted  with  tawny  yellow ;  in  others,  these  wings 
are  dusky,  and  the  bands  are  indistinct.  They  expand  from 
one  inch  and  three  eighths  to  one  inch  and  three  quarters. 

The  following  insects,  for  the  sake  of  convenience,  may 
be  included  in  the  old  genus  Notodonta.     The  first  of  them 

*  Insects  of  Georgia,  p.  141,  pi.  71. 


424  LEPIDOPTERA. 

is  found  in  August  and  September  on  plum  and  apple  trees, 
and,  according  to  Mr.   Abbot,*   on   the  red-berried  alder, 
Prinos  verticillatus.     The  top  of  the  fourth  ring  of  this  catr 
erpillar  rises  in  the  form  of  a  long  horn,  sloping  forwards 
a  little  ;  the  tail,  with  the  hindmost  feet,  which  are  rather 
longer  than  the  others,  is  always  raised  when  the  insect  is 
at  rest,  but  it  generally  uses  these  legs  in  walking  ;  its  head 
i*  large,  and  of  a  brown  color ;  the  sides  of  the  second  and 
third  rings  are  green  ;  the  rest  of  the  body  is  brown,  vari- 
egated with  white  on  the  back,  and  on  it  there  are  a  very 
few  short  hairs,  hardly  visible  to  the  naked  eye.      When 
fully  grown,  it  measures  an  inch  or  more  in  length.    Though 
mostly  solitary  in  their  habits,  sometimes  three  or  four  of 
these  caterpillars  are  found  near  together,  and  eating  the 
leaves  of  the  same  twig.     Towards  the  end  of  September 
they  descend  from  the  trees,  and  make  their  cocoons,  which 
are  tlu'n   and  almost  transparent,  resembling  parchment  in 
texture,  and  are  covered  generally  with  bits  of  leaves  on  the 
outside.      The  caterpillars  remain  in  their  cocoons  a  long 
time  before  changing  to  chrysalids,  and  the  moth  does  not 
come  out  till  the  following  summer.      There  are  probably 
two  broods  in  the  course  of  one  season,  for  I  have  taken 
the  moths  early  in  August.     In  Georgia  the  caterpillar  made 
its  cocoon  on  the  30th  of  May,  and  was  transformed  to  a 
moth  fourteen  days  afterwards.     This  moth  is  the  Notodonta 
unicornis,  or  unicorn  moth,  so  called  from  the  horn  on  the 
back  of  the  caterpillar.     The  fore  wings  are  light  brown, 
variegated  with  patches  of  greenish  white  and  with  wavy 
dark  brown  lines,  two  of  which  enclose  a  small  whitish  space 
near  the  shoulders  ;  there  is  a  short  blackish  mark  near  the 
middle ;   the  tip   and  the  outer  hind   margin   are   whitish, 
tinged  with  red  in  the  males  ;  and  near  the  outer  hind  angle 
there  are  one  small  white  and  two  black  dashes  ;  the  hind 
wings  of  the  male  are  dirty  white,  with  a  dusky  spot  on 
the  inner  hind  angle  ;   those  of  the  female  are  sometimes 

*  Insects  of  Georgia,  p.  171,  pi.  86. 


THE    RED-HUMPED    CATERPILLAR.  425 

entirely  dusky ;  the  body  is  brownish,  and  there  are  two 
narrow  black  bands  across  the  fore  part  of  the  thorax.  The 
wings  expand  from  one  inch  and  a  quarter  to  one  inch  and 
a  half,  or  nearly. 

Our  fruit-trees  seem  to  be  peculiarly  subject  to  the  ravages 
of  insects,  probably  because  the  native  trees  of  the  forest, 
which  originally  yielded  the  insects  an  abundance  of  food, 
have  been  destroyed  to  a  great  extent,  and  their  places 
supplied  only  partially  by  orchards,  gardens,  and  nurseries. 
Numerous  as  are  the  kinds  of  caterpillars  now  found  on 
cultivated  trees,  some  are  far  more  abundant  than  others, 
and  therefore  more  often  fall  under  our  observation,  and 
come  to  be  better  known.  Such,  for  instance,  are  certain 
gregarious  caterpillars  that  swarm  on  the  apple,  cherry,  and 
plum  trees  towards  the  end  of  summer,  stripping  whole 
branches  of  their  leaves,  and  not  unfrequently  despoiling 
our  rose-bushes  and  thorn  hedges  also.  These  caterpillars 
are  of  two  kinds,  very  different  in  appearance,  but  alike  in 
habits  and  destructive  propensities.  The  first  of  these  may 
be  called  the  red-humped  (Fig.  210),  Fi  210 

a  name  that  will  probably  bring  these 
insects  to  the  remembrance  of  those 
persons  who  have  ever  observed 
them.  Different  broods  make  their  appearance  at  various 
times  during  August  and  September.  The  eggs  from  which 
they  proceed  are  laid,  in  the  course  of  the  month  of  July, 
in  clusters  on  the  under  side  of  a  leaf,  generally  near  the 
end  of  a  branch.  When  first  hatched  they  eat  only  the 
substance  of  the  under  side  of  the  leaf,  leaving  the  skin 
of  the  upper  side  and  all  the  veins  untouched  ;  but  as  they 
grow  larger  and  stronger,  they  devour  whole  leaves  from 
the  point  to  the  stalk,  and  go  from  leaf  to  leaf  down  the 
twigs  and  branches.  The  young  caterpillars  are  lighter- 
colored  than  the  old  ones,  which  are  yellowish  brown,  paler 
on  the  sides,  and  longitudinally  striped  with  slender  black 
lines  ;  the  head  is  red ;  on  the  top  of  the  fourth  ring  there 
54 


426  LEPIDOPTERA. 

is  a  bunch  or  hump,  also  of  a  red  color ;  along  the  back 
are  several  short  black  prickles ;  and  the  hinder  extremity 
tapers  somewhat,  and  is  always  elevated  at  an  angle  with 
the  rest  of  the  body,  when  the  insect  is  not  crawling.  The 
full-grown  caterpillars  measure  one  inch  and  a  quarter,  or 
rather  more,  in  length.  They  rest  close  together  on  the 
twigs,  when  not  eating,  and  sometimes  entirely  cover  the 
small  twigs  and  ends  of  the  branches.  The  early  broods 
come  to  then*  growth  and  leave  the  trees  by  the  middle  of 
August,  and  the  others  between  this  time  and  the  latter  part 
of  September.  All  the  caterpillars  of  the  same  brood  de- 
scend at  one  tune,  and  disappear  in  the  night.  They  con- 
ceal themselves  under  leaves,  or  just  beneath  the  surface 
of  the  soil,  and  make  their  cocoons,  which  resemble  those 
of  the  unicorn  Notodonta.  They  remain  a  long  time  in 
then*  cocoons  before  changing  to  chrysalids,  and  are  trans- 
formed to  moths  towards  the  end  of  June  or  the  beginning 
of  July.  Mr.  Abbot  *  states  that  in  Georgia  these  insects 
breed  twice  a  year,  the  first  broods  making  their  cocoons 
towards  the  end  of  May,  and  appearing  in  the  winged  form 
fifteen  days  afterwards.  This  Notodonta  is  a  neat  and  trim 
looking  moth,  and  is  hence  called  concinna  (Plate  VI.  Fig. 
11)  by  Sir  J.  E.  Smith.  It  is  of  a  light  brown  color ;  the 
fore  wings  are  dark  brown  along  the  inner  margin,  and 
more  or  less  tinged  with  gray  before  ;  there  is  a  dark-brown 
dot  near  the  middle,  a  spot  of  the  same  color  near  each 
angle,  a  very  small  triangular  whitish  spot  near  the  shoul- 
ders, and  several  dark-brown  longitudinal  streaks  on  the 
outer  hind  margin  ;  the  hind  wings  of  the  male  are  brown- 
ish or  dirty  white,  with  a  brown  spot  on  the  inner  hind 
angle ;  those  of  the  other  sex  are  dusky  brown  ;  the  body 
is  light  brown,  with  the  thorax  rather  darker.  The  wings 
expand  from  one  inch  to  one  inch  and  three  eighths. 

Every  person  who  has  paid  any  attention  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  grape-vine  in  this  country  must  have  observed 

*  Insects  of  Georgia,  p.  169,  pi.  86 


THE    EUDRYAS    GRATA.  427 

upon  it,  besides  the  large  sphinx  caterpillars  that   devour 
its   leaves,   a    small    blue    caterpillar  Fig  211 

(Fig.  211,  and  Plate  VI.  Fig.  7), 
transversely  banded  with  deep  orange 
across  the  middle  of  each  ring,  the 
bands  being  dotted  with  black,  with  the  head  and  feet  also 
orange,  the  top  of  the  eleventh  ring  somewhat  bulging,  and 
the  fore  part  of  the  body  hunched  up  when  the  creature  is 
at  rest.  These  caterpillars  begin  to  appear  about  the  middle 
of  July,  and  others  are  hatched  afterwards,  as  late,  perhaps, 
as  the  middle  of  August.  When  not  eating,  they  generally 
rest  upon  the  under  sides  of  the  leaves,  and,  though  many 
may  be  found  on  one  vine,  they  do  not  associate  with  each 
other.  They  live  on  the  common  creeper,  as  well  as  on  the 
grape-vine.  They  eat  all  parts  of  the  leaves,  even  to  the 
midrib  and  stalks.  When  fully  grown,  and  at  rest,  they 
measure  an  inch  and  a  quarter,  but  stretch  out,  in  creeping, 
to  the  length  of  an  inch  and  a  half,  or  more.  Towards  the 
end  of  August  they  begin  to  disappear,  and  no  more  will  be 
found  on  the  vines  after  September.  They  creep  down  the 
vines  in  the  night,  and  go  into  the  ground,  burying  them- 
selves three  or  four  inches  deep,  and  turn  to  chrysalids  with- 
out making  cocoons.  The  chrysalis  is  dark  brown,  and 
rough  with  elevated  points.  The  moths  begin  to  come  out 
of  the  ground  as  soon  as  the  25th  of  June,  and  others  con- 
tinue to  appear  till  the  20th  of  July.  Though  of  small 
size,  they  are  very  beautiful,  and  far  surpass  all  others  of 
the  family  in  delicacy  of  coloring  and  design.  The  name 
of  this  moth  is  Eudryas  grata*  (Plate  VI.  Fig.  8),  the  first 
word  signifying  beautiful  wood-nymph,  and  the  second  agree- 
able or  pleasing.  The  antennae  are  rather  long,  almost 
thread-like,  tapering  to  the  end,  and  not  feathered  in  either 
sex.  The  fore  wings  are  pure  white,  with  a  broad  stripe 
along  the  front  edge,  extending  from  the  shoulder  a  little 
beyond  the  middle  of  the  edge,  and  a  broad  band  around  the 

*  This  insect  is  the  Bombyx  grata  of  Fabricius. 
54* 


428  LEPIDOPTERA. 

outer  hind  margin,  of  a  deep  purple-brown  color ;  the  band 
is  edged  internally  with  olive-green,  and  marked  towards 
the  edge  with  a  slender  wavy  white  line ;  near  the  middle  of 
the  wing,  and  toucliing  the  brown  stripe,  are  two  brown 
spots,  one  of  them  round  and  the  other  kidney-shaped ;  and 
on  the  middle  of  the  inner  margin  there  is  a  large  triangular 
olive-colored  spot ;  the  under  side  of  the  same  wings  is  yel- 
low, and  near  the  middle  there  are  a  round  and  a  kidney- 
shaped  black  spot.  The  hind  wings  are  yellow  above  and 
beneath ;  on  the  upper  side  with  a  broad  purple-brown  hind 
border,  on  which  there  is  a  wavy  white  line,  and  on  the  un- 
der side  with  only  a  central  black  dot.  The  head  is  black. 
Along  the  middle  of  the  thorax  there  is  a  broad  crest-like 
stripe  of  black  and  pearl-colored  glittering  scales.  The 
shoulder-covers  are  white.  The  upper  side  of  the  abdomen 
is  yellow,  with  a  row  of  black  spots  on  the  top,  and  another 
on  each  side ;  the  under  side  of  the  body,  and  the  large  muff- 
like  tufts  on  the  fore  legs,  are  white ;  and  the  other  legs  are 
black.  This  moth  rests  with  its  wings  closed  like  a  steep 
roof  over  its  back,  and  its  fore  legs  stretched  forward,  like  a 
CERURA.  It  expands  from  one  inch  and  a  half  to  one  inch 
and  three  quarters. 

Eudryas  unto,  of  Hiibner,  the  pearl  Eudryas,  as  its  name 
implies,  is  a  somewhat  smaller  moth,  closely  resembling  the 
preceding,  from  which  it  differs  in  having  the  stripe  and 
band  on  its  fore  wings  of  a  brighter  purple-brown  color,  the 
round  and  kidney-shaped  spots  contiguous  to  the  former  also 
brown,  the  olive-colored  edging  of  the  band  wavy,  with  a 
powdered  blue  spot  between  it  and  the  triangular  olive- 
colored  spot  on  the  inner  margin,  and  a  distinct  brown  spot 
on  the  inner  hind  angle  of  the  posterior  wings ;  all  the  wings 
beneath  are  broadly  bordered  behind  with  light  brown,  and 
the  spots  upon  them  are  also  light  brown.  It  expands  from 
one  inch  and  three  eighths  to  one  inch  and  a  half.  This  spe- 
cies has  been  taken  in  Massachusetts,  but  it  is  rare,  and  the 
caterpillar  is  unknown  to  me. 


THE    ATTENDANT    PYG^BA.  429 

In  the  remarks  preceding  the  description  of  Notodonta  con- 
cinna,  mention  was  made  of  two  kinds  of  caterpillars,  living 
in  great  numbers  on  fruit- 
trees  in  the  latter  part  of 
summer.  The  second  kind 
(Fig.  212)  are  now  to  be 
described.  They  grow  to  a 
greater  size,  are  longer  in  coming  to  their  growth,  their 
swarms  are  more  numerous,  and  consequently  they  do  much 
more  injury,  than  the  red-humped  kind.  Entire  branches 
of  the  apple-trees  are  frequently  stripped  of  their  leaves 
by  them,  and  are  loaded  with  these  caterpillars  in  thickly 
crowded  swarms.  The  eggs  from  which  they  are  hatched 
will  be  found  in  patches,  of  about  a  hundred  together, 
fastened  to  the  under  side  of  leaves  near  the  ends  of  the 
twigs.  Some  of  them  begin  to  be  hatched  about  the  20th  of 
July,  and  new  broods  make  their  appearance  in  succession 
for  the  space  of  a  month  or  more.  At  first  they  eat  only 
the  under  side  and  pulpy  part  of  the  leaves,  leaving  the 
upper  side  and  veins  untouched ;  but  afterwards  they  con- 
sume the  whole  of  the  leaves  except  their  stems. 

These  caterpillars  are  sparingly  covered  with  soft  whitish 
hairs ;  the  young  ones  are  brown,  and  striped  with  white  ; 
but,  as  they  grow  older,  their  colors  become  darker  every 
time  they  cast  their  skins.  They  come  to  their  full  size  in 
about  five  weeks  or  a  little  more,  and  then  measure  from 
an  inch  and  three  quarters  to  two  inches  and  a  quarter  in 
extent.  The  head  is  large  and  of  a  black  color ;  the  body 
is  nearly  cylindrical,  with  a  spot  on  the  top  of  the  first  ring, 
and  the  legs  dull  orange-yellow,  a  black  stripe  along  the  top 
of  the  back,  and  three  of  the  same  color  alternating  with 

7  O 

four  yellow  stripes  on  each  side.  The  posture  of  these  cat- 
erpillars, when  at  rest,  is  very  odd  ;  both  extremities  are 
raised,  the  body  being  bent,  and  resting  only  on  the  four 
intermediate  pairs  of  legs.  If  touched  or  otherwise  dis- 
turbed, they  throw  up  their  heads  and  tails  with  a  jerk,  at 


430  LEPIDOPTERA. 

the  same  time  bending  the  body  semicircularly  till  the  two 
extremities  almost  meet  over  the  back.  They  all  eat  to- 
gether, and,  after  they  have  done,  arrange  themselves  side 
by  side  along  the  twigs  and  branches  which  they  have 
stripped.  Beginning  at  the  ends  of  the  branches,  they  eat 
all  the  leaves  successively  from  thence  towards  the  trunk, 
and  if  one  branch  does  not  afford  food  enough  they  betake 
themselves  to  another.  When  ready  to  transform,  all  the 
individuals  of  the  same  brood  quit  the  tree  at  once,  descend- 
ing by  night,  and  burrow  into  the  ground  to  the  depth  of 
three  or  four  inches,  and,  within  twenty-four  hours  after- 
wards, cast  their  caterpillar-skins,  and  become  chrysalids 
without  making  cocoons.  They  remain  in  the  ground  in 
this  state  all  winter,  and  are  changed  to  moths  and  come 
out  between  the  middle  and  end  of  July. 

These  moths  belong  to  the  genus  Pygcera,  so  named  be- 
cause the  caterpillar  sits  with  its  tail  raised  up.  The  an- 
tennae are  rather  long,  those  of  the  males  fringed  beneath, 
in  a  double  row,  with  very  short  hairs  nearly  to  the  tips, 
which,  however,  as  well  as  the  whole  of  the  stalk  of  the 
antennae  in  the  other  sex,  are  bare ;  the  thorax  is  generally 
marked  with  a  large  dark-colored  spot,  the  hairs  of  which 
can  be  raised  up  so  as  to  form  a  ridge  or  kind  of  crest; 
the  hinder  margin  of  the  fore  wings  is  slightly  notched  ; 
and  the  fore  legs  are  stretched  out  before  the  body  in  re- 
pose. Our  Pygcera  was  named,  by  Drury,  ministra,  the 
attendant  or  servant.  (Plate  VI.  Fig.  6.)  It  is  of  a  light 
brown  color  ;  the  head  and  a  large  square  spot  on  the 
thorax  are  dark  chestnut-brown ;  on  the  fore  wings  are  four 

7  o 

or  five  transverse  lines,  one  or  two  spots  near  the  middle, 
and  a  short  oblique  line  near  the  tip,  all  of  which,  with 
the  outer  hind  margin,  are  dark  chestnut-brown.  One  and 
sometimes  both  of  the  dark  brown  spots  are  wanting  on  the 
fore  wings  in  the  males,  and  the  females,  which  are  larger 
than  the  other  sex,  frequently  have  five  instead  of  four  trans- 
verse brown  lines.  It  expands  from  one  inch  and  three 
quarters  to  two  inches  and  a  half. 


THE    AMERICAN    CLOSTERA.  431 

I  have  seen  on  the  oak,  the  birch,  the  black  walnut,  and 
the  hickory  trees,  swarms  of  caterpillars  slightly  differing  in 
color  from  each  other,  and  from  those  above  described,  that 
live  on  the  apple  and  cherry  trees ;  they  were  more  hairy 
than  the  latter,  but  their  postures  and  habits  appeared  to  be 
the  same.  Whether  they  were  all  different  species,  or  only 
varieties  of  the  ministra,  arising  from  difference  of  food,  I 
have  not  been  able  to  ascertain. 

The  cultivation  of  the  balsam  and  our  other  large-leaved 
native  poplars  seems  to  have  been  neglected  of  late  years. 
It  is  true  that  these  trees  are  not  so  durable  and  so  valuable 
as  many  others ;  but  we  sometimes  meet  with  noble  speci- 
mens of  them ;  and  the  rapidity  of  their  growth,  the  great 
size  they  attain  in  favorable  situations,  and  the  fine  shade 
they  afford,  are  qualities  not  to  be  overlooked  or  despised ; 
nor  is  the  wood  entirely  worthless,  either  as  fuel  or  in  the 
arts.  If  these  trees'  are  planted  alternately  with  other  more 
slow-growing  trees,  we  shall  have  the  benefit  of  the  shade 
and  shelter  of  the  former  till  the  others  have  become  large 
enough  to  fill  their  places.  They  are  not  subject  to  be 
attacked  by  canker-worms,  oak-caterpillars,  web-worms,  and 
many  other  kinds  of  insects  that  infest  our  ornamental  and 
shade  trees  of  hard  wood ;  but,  unfortunately,  they  suffer 
too  often  from  insect  depredators  of  their  own,  such  as 
the  grubs  of  two  or  three  kinds  of  beetles,  which  bore 
into  their  trunks  ;  the  spiny  caterpillars  of  the  Antiopa 
butterfly  and  of  the  lo  moth,  the  fork-tailed  Cerura,  the 
caterpillar  of  the  herald-moth,  and  another  kind  of  cater- 
pillar now  to  be  described,  all  which  devour  the  leaves 
of  these  trees.  This  last  kind  of  cat- 
erpillar (Fig.  213)  is  found  in  little  Fig> 
swarms  on  the  trees  from  the  last  of 
July  to  the  beginning  of  October.  It 
does  not  raise  the  hinder  part  of  its  body  when  at  rest. 
It  is  nearly  cylindrical,  with  two  little  black  warts  close  to- 
gether on  the  top  of  the  fourth  and  of  the  eleventh  rings. 


432 


LEPIDOPTERA. 


Fig.  214. 


There  are  a  few  short,  whitish  hairs  thinly  scattered  over  the 
body,  which  is  pale  yellow,  with  three  slender  black  lines 
on  the  back,  and  a  broad  dusky  stripe,  also  marked  with 
three  black  lines,  on  each  side ;  and  the  head,  fore  legs,  and 
spiracles  are  black.  When  fully  grown,  these  caterpillars 
measure  about  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length.  They  live 

together,  in  swarms  of  twenty  or 
more  individuals,  in  a  nest  (Fig. 
214)  made  of  a  single  leaf  fold- 
ed or  curled  at  the  sides,  and 
lined  with  a  thin  web  of  silk. 
An  opening  is  left  at  each  end 
of  the  nest;  through  the  lower 
one  the  dirt  made  by  the  in- 
sects falls,  and  through  the  up- 
per one,  which  is  next  to  the 
leaf-stalk,  the  caterpillars  go  out 
to  feed  upon  the  leaves  near 
to  their  nests.  When  young 
they  sometimes  fold  up  one 
side  of  a  leaf  for  a  nest,  and 
eat  the  other  half.  The  stalks 
of  the  leaves,  to  which  their 
nests  are  hung,  become  covered 
with  silk  from  the  threads  car- 
ried along  by  the  caterpillars 
in  going  over  them ;  and  these 
threads  help  to  secure  the  nests 

to  the  branches.  They  eat  all  parts  of  the  leaves  except  the 
stalks  and  larger  veins,  and  frequently  strip  long  shoots  of 
their  foliage  in  a  very  few  days.  Towards  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember or  early  in  October,  according  to  the  age  of  the 
different  broods,  they  descend  from  the  trees,  disperse,  and 
seek  a  shelter  in  crevices  or  under  leaves  and  rubbish  on 
the  ground,  where  they  make  their  cocoons.  These  are 
thin,  irregular,  silken  webs,  so  loosely  spun  that  the  in- 


THE    AMEEICAN    CLOSTEKA.  433 

sects  can  be  seen  through  them  ;  but  they  are  protected 
by  their  situation,  or  by  the  dead  leaves  and  other  matters 
under  which  they  are  made.  As  soon  as  the  cocoons  are 
finished,  the  insects  become  chrysalids 
(Fig.  215),  and  remain  quiet  through 
the  winter  ;  and  about  the  middle  of 
June,  or  somewhat  later,  they  are  trans- 
formed to  moths.  They  belong  to  the  genus  CLOSTERA,  or 
spinner,  so  named  on  account  of  the  spinning  habits  of  the 
caterpillars.  The  antennae  are  narrowly  feathered  or  pec- 
tinated in  both  sexes  ;  the  thorax  has  an  elevated  crest  in 
the  middle ;  the  tail  is  tufted  and  turned  up  at  the  end,  in 
the  males ;  the  fore  legs  are  thickly  covered  with  hairs  to  the 
end,  and  are  stretched  out  before  the  body  when  the  insect  is 
at  rest. 

Our  poplar  spinner  may  be  called  Clostera  Americana?2 
the  American  Clostera.  (Plate  VI.  Fig.  12.)  It  closely 
resembles  the  European  anastomosis,  from  which,  however, 
it  differs  essentially  in  its  caterpillar  state,  and  the  moth 
presents  certain  characters,  which,  on  close  comparison  with 
the  European  insect,  will  enable  us  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  latter.  It  is  of  a  brownish-gray  color;  the  fore  wings 
are  faintly  tinged  with  pale  lilac,  and  more  or  less  cloud- 
ed with  rust-red ;  they  have  an  irregular  row  of  blackish 
dots  near  the  outer  hind  margin,  and  are  crossed  by  three 
whitish  lines,  of  which  the  first  nearest  the  shoulders  is 
broken  and  widely  separated  in  the  middle,  the  second 
divides  into  two  branches,  one  of  which  goes  straight  across 
the  wing  to  the  inner  margin,  and  the  other  passes  obliquely 
till  it  meets  the  end  of  the  third  line,  with  which  it  forms  an 
angle  or  letter  V ;  across  the  middle  of  the  hind  wings  there 
is  a  narrow  brownish  band,  much  more  distinct  beneath  than 
above ;  on  the  top  of  the  thorax  there  is  an  oblong  chestnut- 

[  2a  This  name  cannot  stand.  It  is  the  C.  inclusa,  Hiibner,  Zutr.  Dr.  Harris  has 
somewhere  said  that  he  had  no  opportunity  of  consulting  Hiibner' s  works,  and 
hence  is  not  to  be  blamed  for  naming  what  he  conceived  to  be  a  new  species.  — 
MORRIS.] 

55 


434  LEPIDOPTERA. 

colored  spot,  the  hairs  of  which  rise  upwards  behind  and 
form  a  crest.  All  the  whitish  lines  on  the  fore  wings  are 
more  or  less  bounded  externally  with  rust-red.  It  expands 
from  one  inch  and  one  quarter  to  one  inch  and  five  eighths. 
In  Georgia  this  insect  breeds  twice  a  year ;  and  the  cater- 
pillars eat  the  leaves  of  the  willow  as  well  as  those  of  the 
poplar.* 

2.    OWLET-MOTHS.     (Noctua.) 

Our  second  tribe  of  moths,  the  NOCTILE  of  Linnaeus,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  thus  named  from  Noctua,  an  owl,  because 
they  fly  chiefly  by  night,  and  are  hence  called  Eulen,  or  owl- 
moths,  by  the  Germans.  This  tribe  contains  a  very  large 
number  of  thick-bodied  and  swift-flying  moths,  most  of 
which  may  be  distinguished  by  the  following  characters. 
The  antennae  are  long  and  tapering,  and  seldom  pectinated 
even  in  the  males ;  the  tongue  is  long ;  the  feelers  are  very 
distinct,  and  project  more  or  less  beyond  the  face,  the  two 
lower  joints  being  compressed  or  flattened  at  the  sides,  and 
the  last  joint  is  slender  and  small ;  the  thorax  is  thick,  with 
rather  prominent  collar  and  shoulders,  and  is  often  crested 
on  the  top ;  the  body  tapers  behind ;  the  wings  are  always 
fastened  together  by  bristles  and  hooks,  are  generally  roofed, 
when  at  rest,  and  each  of  the  fore  wings  is  marked  behind 
the  middle  of  the  front  margin  with  two  spots,  one  of  them 
round  and  small,  and  the  other  larger  and  kidney-shaped. 
A  few  of  them  fly  by  day,  the  others  only  at  night.  Their 
colors  are  generally  dull,  and  of  some  shade  of  gray  or 
brown,  and  so  extremely  alike  are  they  in  their  markings, 
that  it  is  very  difficult  to  describe  them  without  the  aid  of 
figures,  which  cannot  be  expected  in  this  treatise.  The  cat- 
erpillars are  nearly  cylindrical,  for  the  most  part  naked, 
though  some  are  hairy,  slow  in  their  motions,  and  generally 
provided  with  sixteen  legs  ;  those  with  fewer  legs  never  want 

•  See  Phabena  anattomodt  of  Smith,  in  Abbot's  "  Insects  of  Georgia,"  p.  143, 
pi.  72. 


OWLET-MOTHS.  435 

the  hindmost  pair,  and  never  raise  the  end  of  the  body  when 
at  rest.  Some  of  them  make  cocoons,  but  the  rest  go  into 
the  ground  to  transform.  Many  of  the  Noctuas  vary  more 
or  less  from  the  characters  above  given,  and  the  tribe  seems 
to  admit  of  being  divided  into  several  smaller  groups  or 
families,  under  which  their  peculiarities  might  be  more  dis- 
tinctly pointed  out.  Unfortunately  the  history  of  most  of 
our  moths  is  still  imperfectly  known  ;  and  for  this  reason,  as 
well  as  on  account  of  the  length  to  which  the  foregoing  part 
of  this  treatise  has  already  extended,  I  have  concluded  to 
suppress  a  considerable  portion  of  my  observations  on  the 
owlet-moths  and  the  rest  of  the  Lepidoptera,  and  shall  con- 
fine my  remarks  to  a  few  of  the  most  injurious  species  in 
each  of  the  remaining  tribes. 

The  injury  done  to  vegetation  by  the  caterpillars  of  the 
Noctuas,  or  owlet-moths,  is  by  no  means  inconsiderable,  and 
sometimes  becomes  very  great  and  apparent;  but  most  of 
these  insects  are  concealed  from  our  observation  during  the 
day-time,  and  come  out  from  their  retreats  to  feed  only  at 
night.  To  turn  them  out  of  their  hiding-places  becomes 
sometimes  absolutely  necessary,  and  it  is  only  by  dear-bought 
experience  that  we  learn  how  to  discover  them.  This  is  not 
the  case  with  all ;  those  of  the  first  family,  which  I  would 
call  Acronyctians  (ACRONYCTAD^E*),  live  exposed  on  the 
leaves  of  trees  and  shrubs.  They  have  sixteen  legs,  are 
cylindrical,  and  more  or  less  hairy,  some  of  them  closely 
resembling  those  of  the  genus  Clostera,  having  a  wart  or 
prominence  on  the  top  of  the  fourth  and  the  eleventh  rings, 
and  some  of  them  have  the  hair  in  tufts  like  Arctians  and 
Liparians.  They  make  tough  silken  cocoons,  in  texture 
almost  like  stiff  brown  paper,  into  which  they  weave  the 
hairs  of  their  bodies.  Their  moths  have  bristle-formed 
antennae,  and  the  thorax  is  not  crested.  Their  fore  wings 
are  generally  light  gray  with  dark  spots,  and  in  many  are 
marked  with  a  character  resembling  the  Greek  letter  -\Jr  near 

*  From  Acronycla,  a  genus  of  moths  appearing  at  nightfall,  as  the  name  implies. 
55* 


430  LEPIDOPTERA. 

the  inner  hind  angle.  Of  those  that  want  this  character  on 
the  fore  wings,  the  largest  American  species,  known  to  me, 
may  be  called  Apatela  Americana"2*  (Fig.  216),  which  has 
been  mistaken  *  for  Apatela  Aceris,  the  maple-moth  of  Eu- 
rope. Its  body  and  fore  wings  are  light  gray ;  on  the  latter 

Fig.  216. 


there  is  a  wavy,  scalloped  white  line  edged  externally  with 
black  near  the  outer  hind  margin,  and  the  usual  round  and 
kidney-shaped  spots  are  also  edged  with  black ;  the  hind 
wings  are  dark  gray  in  the  male,  blackish  in  the  female,  with 
a  faintly  marked  black  curved  band  and  central  semicircular 
spot ;  all  the  wings  are  whitish  and  shining  beneath,  with  a 
black  wavy  and  curved  band  and  central  semicircular  spot  on 
each ;  the  fringes  are  white,  scalloped,  and  spotted  with 
black.  It  expands  from  two  inches  and  a  quarter  to  two 
inches  and  a  half,  or  more.  This  kind  of  moth  flies  only  at 
night,  and  makes  its  appearance  between  the  middle  and  the 

end  of  July.     The  cat- 

"*  217-  erpillar  (Fig.  217)  eats 

the  leaves  of  the  va- 
rious kinds  of  maple, 
and  sometimes  also 
those  of  the  elm,  lin- 
den, and  chestnut.  It 
is  one  of  the  largest 
kinds ;  and,  early  in  October,  when  it  arrives  at  maturity, 

[  **  A..  Americana  is  synonymous  with  Acronycta  acericola  Guene"e.  —  MORRIS.] 
*  See  Phabena  Aceru,  Smith,  in  Abbot's  "  Insects  of  Georgia,"  p.  186,  pi.  93. 


THE    NONAGRIANS.  437 

measures  from  one  inch  and  three  quarters  to  two  inches  or 
more  in  length.  It  is  of  a  greenish-yellow  color  above,  with 
the  head,  tail,  belly,  and  feet  black ;  its  body  is  covered  with 
long  and  soft  yellow  hairs,  growing  immediately  from  the 
skin ;  on  the  top  of  the  fourth  ring  there  are  two  long,  slen- 
der, and  erect  tufts  of  black  hairs,  two  more  on  the  sixth 
ring,  and  a  single  pencil  on  the  eleventh  ring.*  While  at 
rest,  it  remains  curled  sidewise  on  a  leaf.  When  about  to 
make  its  cocoon,  it  creeps  into  chinks  of  the  bark,  or  into 
cracks  in  fences,  and  spins  a  loose,  half-oval  web  of  silk, 
intermixed  with  the  hairs  of  its  body ;  under  this  it  then 
makes  another  and  -tougher  pod  of  silk, 
thickened  with  fragments  of  bark  and  wood, 
and,  when  its  work  is  done,  changes  to  a 
chrysalis  (Fig.  218),  in  which  state  it  re- 
mains till  the  following  summer. 

The  caterpillars  of  the  Nonagrians  (NONAGRIAD^E  f )  are 
naked,  long,  slender,  and  tapering  at  each  end,  smooth,  and 
generally  of  a  faint  reddish  or  greenish  tint,  with  an  oval, 
dark-colored,  horny  spotij:  on  the  top  of  the  first  and  last 
ring.  Most  of  them  live  within  the  stems  of  reeds,  flags, 
and  other  water-plants ;  some  in  the  stems  and  even  in  the 
roots  of  plants  remote  from  the  water.  They  devour  the 
pith  and  the  inside  of  the  roots,  and  transform  in  the  same 
situations,  having  previously  gnawed  a  hole  from  the  inside 
of  their  retreat,  through  the  side  of  the  stem  or  root,  to  the 
outside  skin,  which  is  left  untouched,  and  which  the  moth 


*  Those  naturalists  who  are  familiar  with  the  appearance  of  the  European 
caterpillar  of  Apatela  Aceris  will  perceive  the  great  and  essential  difference  be- 
tween it  and  that  of  our  American  Apatela,  which  bears  about  as  much  resem- 
blance to  the  former  as  does  that  of  Astasia  torrefacta  of  Sir  J.  E.  Smith,  an 
insect  apparently  belonging  to  the  Notodontians,  and  near  to  Clostera  and  Pygcera. 
Apatela  signifies  deceptive ;  and  this  name  was  probably  given  to  the  genus  be- 
cause the  caterpillars  appear  in  the  dress  of  Arctians  and  Liparians,  but  produce 
true  owlet-moths  or  Noctuas. 

t  From  Nonagria,  the  meaning  of  which  is  uncertain. 

t  These  dark  horny  spots  are  found  on  the  first  ring  of  most  of  the  caterpillars 
that  burrow  in  the  stems  of  plants,  or  in  the  ground. 


438  LEPIDOPTEBA. 

can  easily  break  through  afterwards.  The  chrysalids  are 
generally  very  long  and  cylindrical,  and  are  blunt  at  the 
extremities.  Most  of  the  moths  have  very  long  bodies,  a 
smooth  thorax,  and  are  of  a  yellowish  clay  or  drab  color; 
the  fore  wings  want  the  usual  spots,  are  faintly  streaked  and 
dotted  with  black,  and  have  a  scalloped  hind  margin.  Those 
that  do  not  live  in  water-plants  are  distinguished  by  brighter 
colors  of  orange-yellow  and  brown,  with  the  usual  spots 
more  or  less  distinct  on  the  fore  wings,  the  margin  of  which 
is  wavy ;  the  collar  is  prominent,  and  the  thorax  crested. 
In  all  of  them  the  antenna  of  the  males  are  slightly  thick- 
ened with  short  hairs  beneath. 

These  insects  are  fatal  to  the  plants  attacked,  the  greater 
part  of  which,  however,  are  without  value  to  the  farmer. 
Indian  corn  must  be  excepted ;  for  it  often  suffers  severely 
from  the  depredations  of  one  of  these  Nonagrians,  known  to 
our  farmers  by  the  name  of  the  spindle-worm.  The  Rev. 
L.  W.  Leonard  has  favored  me  with  a  specimen  of  this 
insect,  its  chrysalis,  and  its  moth,  together  with  some  re- 
marks upon  its  habits  ;  and  the  latter  have  also  been  described 
to  me  by  an  intelligent  friend,  conversant  with  agriculture. 
This  insect  receives  its  common  name  from  its  destroying  the 
spindle  of  the  Indian  corn ;  but  its  ravages  generally  begin 
while  the  corn-stalk  is  young,  and  before  the  spindle  rises 
much  above  the  tuft  of  leaves  in  which  it  is  embosomed. 
The  mischief  is  discovered  by  the  withering  of  the  leaves, 
and,  when  these  are  taken  hold  of,  they  may  often  be  drawn 
out  with  the  included  spindle.  On  examining  the  corn,  a 
small  hole  may  be  seen  in  the  side  of  the  leafy  stalk,  near 
the  ground,  penetrating  into  the  soft  centre  of  the  stalk, 
which,  when  cut  open,  will  be  found  to  be  perforated,  both 
upwards  and  downwards,  by  a  slender  worm-like  caterpillar, 
whose  excrementitious  castings  surround  the  orifice  of  the 
hole.  This  caterpillar  grows  to  the  length  of  an  inch,  or 
more,  and  to  the  thickness  of  a  goose-quill.  It  is  smooth, 
and  apparently  naked,  yellowish,  with  the  head,  the  top  of 


THE    CORN    GOBTYNA.  439 

the  first  and  of  the  last  rings  black,  and  with  a  double  row, 
across  each  of  the  other  rings,  of  small,  smooth,  slightly 
elevated,  shining  black  dots.  With  a  magnifying-glass  a  few 
short  hairs  can  be  seen  on  its  body,  arising  singly  from  the 
black  dots.  This  mischievous  caterpillar  is  not  confined  to 
Indian  corn ;  it  attacks  also  the  stems  of  the  Dahlia,  as  I  am 
informed  both  by  Mr.  Leonard  and  by  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Rus- 
sell, both  of  whom  have  observed  its  ravages  in  the  stems  of 
this  favorite  flower.  It  has  also  been  found  in  the  pith  of  the 
elder,  and  the  same  species  of  moth  was  produced  from  it, 
early  in  August,  as  from  the  spindle-worm  of  corn.  The 
chrysalis,  which  is  lodged  in  the  burrow  formed  by  the  cater- 
pillar, is  slender,  but  not  quite  so  long  in  proportion  to  its 
thickness  as  are  those  of  most  of  the  Nonagrians.  It  is 
shining  mahogany-brown,  with  the  anterior  edges  of  four  of 
the  rings  of  the  back  roughened  with  little  points,  and  four 
short  spines  or  hooks,  turned  upwards,  on  the  hinder  extrem- 
ity of  the  body.  The  moth  produced  from  this  insect  differs 
from  the  other  Nonagrians  somewhat  in  form,  its  fore  wings 
being  shorter  and  more  rounded  at  the  tip.  It  may  be  called 
G-ortyna  *  Zece  (Plate  VII.  Fig.  9),  the  corn  Gortyna ;  Zea 
being  the  botanical  name  of  Indian  corn.  The  fore  wings 
are  rust-red ;  they  are  mottled  with  gray,  almost  in  bands, 
uniting  with  the  ordinary  spots,  which  are  also  gray  and 
indistinct ;  there  is  an  irregular  tawny  spot  near  the  tip,  and 
on  the  veins  there  are  a  few  black  dots.  The  hind  wings 
are  yellowish  gray,  with  a  central  dusky  spot,  behind  which 
are  two  faint,  dusky  bands.  The  head  and  thorax  are  rust- 
red,  with  an  elevated  tawny  tuft  on  each.  The  abdomen  is 
pale  brown,  with  a  row  of  tawny  tufts  on  the  back.  The 
wings  expand  nearly  one  inch  and  a  half. 

In  order  to  check  the  ravages  of  these  insects  they  must 
be  destroyed  while  in  the  caterpillar  state.  As  soon  as  our 
cornfields  begin  to  show,  by  the  withering  of  the  leaves,  the 

*  Gortyna,  in  ancient  geography,  was  the  name  of  a  city  in  Crete,  so  called 
from  its  founder. 


440  LEPIDOPTERA. 

usual  signs  that  the  enemy  is  at  work  in  the  stalks,  the  spin- 
dle-worms should  be  sought  for  and  killed  ;  for,  if  allowed  to 
remain  undisturbed  until  they  turn  to  moths,  they  will  make 
their  escape,  and  we  shall  not  be  able  to  prevent  them  from 
laying  their  eggs  for  another  brood  of  these  pestilent  insects. 
A  worm,  or  caterpillar,  something  like  the  spindle-worm, 
has  often  been  found  by  farmers  in  potato-stalks;  and  the 
potato-rot  has  sometimes  been  ascribed  to  its  depredations. 
On  the  9th  of  July,  1848,  one  of  these  caterpillars  was 
brought  to  me  in  a  potato-stalk  from  Watertown;  and  on 
the  5th  of  July,  1851,  I  found  another  within  the  stem  of 
the  pig-weed,  or  Chenopodium.      These 
Flg'  219'  caterpillars   (Fig.   219)  were  of  a  livid 

hue,  faintly  striped  with  three   whitish 
lines  along  the  back.     Their  transforma- 
tions have  not  yet  been  observed. 

The  roots  of  the  Columbine  are  attacked  by  another  cater- 
pillar belonging  to  this  family.     It  burrows  into  the  bottom 
of  the  stalk  and  devours   the  inside  of  the  roots,  which  it 
injures  so  much  that  the  plant  soon  dies.      One  of  these 
caterpillars,  which  was  found  in  July  in  the  roots  of  a  fine 
double  Columbine  in  my  garden,  was  of  a  whitish  color,  with 
a  few  black  dots  on  each  of  the  rings,  a  brownish  head,  and 
the  top  of  the  first  and  of  the  last  rings  blackish.     It  grew  to 
the  length  of  about  one  inch  and  a  quarter,  turned  to  a 
chrysalis  on  the  19th  of  August,  and  came  out  a  moth  on 
the  24th  of  September.     The  moth  closely  resembles  the 
Gortyna  flavago  of  Europe,  but  is  sufficiently  distinct  from 
it.     It  may  be  called    Gortyna  leucostigma,  the  white-spot 
Gortyna.     The  fore  wings  are  tawny  yellow,  sprinkled  with 
purple-brown  dots,  and  with  two  broad  bands  and  the  outer 
hind  margin  purple-brown  ;  there  is  a  distinct  tawny  yellow 
spot  on  the  tip,  followed  by  a  row  of  faint  yellowish  crescents 
between  the  brown  band  and  margin  ;  the  ordinary  spots  are 
yellow,  margined  with  brown,  and  there  is  a  third  oval  spot 
of  a  white  color  near  the  round  spot.     The  hind  wings  are 


THE    AGROTIDIANS.  441 

pale  buff  or  yellowish  white,  with  a  central  spot,  and  a  band 
behind  it,  of  a  brownish  color.  The  head  is  brown ;  the 
thorax  is  tawny  yellow,  with  a  brown  tuft ;  and  the  edges  of 
the  collar  and  of  the  shoulder-covers  are  brown.  The  wings 
expand  rather  more  than  one  inch  and  a  half.  I  have  what 
appear  to  be  varieties  of  this  moth,  expanding  one  inch  and 
three  eighths,  with  three  or  four  white  dots  around  the  kid- 

O  ' 

ney-spot,  and  the  ordinary  round  spot  wholly  white. 

Numerous  complaints  have  been  made  of  the  ravages  of 
cut-worms  among  corn,  wheat,  grass,  and  other  vegetables, 
in  various  parts  of  the  country.  After  a  tiresome  search 
through  many  of  our  agricultural  publications,  I  have  become 
convinced  that  these  insects  and  their  history  are  not  yet 
known  to  some  of  the  very  persons  who  are  said  to  have 
suffered  from  their  depredations.  Various  cut-worms,  or 
more  properly  subterranean  caterpillars,  wire-worms,  or  lull, 
and  grub-worms,  or  the  young  of  May-beetles,  are  often  con- 
founded together  or  mistaken  for  each  other ;  sometimes 

O  ' 

their  names  are  interchanged,  and  sometimes  the  same  name 
is  given  to  each  and  all  of  these  different  animals.  Hence 
the  remedies  that  are  successful  in  some  instances  are  entirely 
useless  in  others.  The  name  of  cut-worm  seems  originally 
to  have  been  given  to  certain  caterpillars  that  live  in  the 
ground  about  the  roots  of  plants,  but  come  up  in  the  night, 
and  cut  off  and  devour  the  tender  stems  and  lower  leaves  of 
young  cabbages,  beans,  corn,  and  other  herbaceous  plants. 
These  subterranean  caterpillars  are  finally  transformed  to 
moths  belonging  to  a  group  which  may  be  called  Agrotidians 
(AGROTIDIDJE),  from  a  word  signifying  rustic,  or  pertaining 
to  the  fields.  Some  of  these  rustic  moths  fly  by  day,  and 
may  be  found  in  the  fields,  especially  in  the  autumn,  sucking 
the  honey  of  flowers  ;  others  are  on  the  wing  only  at  night, 
and  during  the  day  lie  concealed  in  chinks  of  walls  and  other 
dark  places.  Their  wings  are  nearly  horizontal  when  closed, 
the  upper  pair  completely  covering  the  lower  wings,  and 
often  overlapping  a  little  on  their  inner  edges,  thus  favoring 
56 


442  LEPIDOPTERA. 

these  insects  in  their  attempts  to  obtain  shelter  and  conceal- 
ment. The  thorax  is  slightly  convex,  but  smooth  or  not 
crested.  The  antennae  of  the  males  are  generally  beset  with 
two  rows  of  short  points,  like  fine  teeth,  on  the  under  side, 
nearly  to  the  tips.  The  fore  legs  are  often  quite  spiny. 

Most  of  these  moths  come  forth  in  July  and  August,  and 
soon  afterwards  lay  their  eggs  in  the  ground,  in  ploughed 
fields,  gardens,  and  meadows.  In  Europe  it  is  found  that 
the  eggs  are  hatched  early  in  the  autumn,  at  which  time  the 
little  subterranean  caterpillars  live  chiefly  on  the  roots  and 
tender  sprouts  of  herbaceous  plants.  On  the  approach  of 
winter  they  descend  deeper  into  the  ground,  and,  curling 
themselves  up,  remain  in  a  torpid  state  till  the  following 
spring,  when  they  ascend  towards  the  surface,  and  renew 
their  devastations.  The  caterpillars  of  the  Agrotidians  are 
smooth,  shining,  naked,  and  dark-colored,  with  longitudinal 
pale  and  blackish  stripes,  and  a  few  black  dots  on  each  ring ; 
some  of  them  also  have  a  shining,  horny,  black  spot  on  the 
top  of  the  first  ring.  They  are  of  a  cylindrical  form,  taper- 
ing a  little  at  each  end,  rather  thick  in  proportion  to  their 
length,  and  are  provided  with  sixteen  legs.  They  are 
changed  to  chrysalids  in  the  ground,  without  previously 
making  silken  cocoons.  The  most  destructive  kinds  in  Eu- 
rope are  the  caterpillars  of  the  corn  rustic  or  winter  dart- 
moth  (Agrotis  segetum),  the  wheat  dart-moth  (Agrotis  tritici), 
the  eagle-moth  (Agrotis  aquilina),  and  the  turf  rustic  or 
antler-moth  (Charceas  graminis*}.  The  first  two  attack 
both  the  roots  and  leaves  of  winter  wheat ;  the  second  also 
destroys  buckwheat,  and  it  is  stated  that  sixty  bushels  of 
mould,  taken  from  a  field  where  they  prevailed,  contained 
twenty-three  bushels  of  the  caterpillars ;  those  of  the  eagle- 
moth  occasionally  prove  very  destructive  in  vineyards ;  and 
the  caterpillars  of  the  antler-moth  are  notorious  for  their 
devastations  in  meadows,  and  particularly  in  mountain  pas- 
tures. 

*  See  Kollar's  Treatise,  pp.  94, 102, 166,  and  136. 


CUT-WORMS.  443 

The  habits  of  our  cut-worms  appear  to  be  exactly  the 
same  as  those  of  the  European  Agrotidians.  It  is  chiefly 
during  the  months  of  June  and  July  that  they  are  found  to 
be  most  destructive.  Whole  corn-fields  are  sometimes  laid 
waste  by  them.  Cabbage-plants,  till  they  are  grown  to  a 
considerable  size,  are  very  apt  to  be  cut  off  and  destroyed  by 
them.  Potato-vines,  beans,  beets,  and  various  other  culinary 
plants,  suffer  in  the  same  way.  The  products  of  our  flower- 
gardens  are  not  spared ;  asters,  balsams,  pinks,  and  many 
other  kinds  of  flowers,  are  often  shorn  of  their  leaves  and 
of  their  central  buds,  by  these  concealed  spoilers.  Several 
years  ago  I  procured  a  considerable 
number  of  cut-worms  (Fig.  220)  in 
the  months  of  June  and  July.  Some 
of  them  were  dug  up  among  cabbage- 
plants,  some  from  potato-hills,  and  others  from  the  corn- 
field and  the  flower-garden.  Though  varying  in  length 
from  one  inch  and  a  quarter  to  two  inches,  they  were  fully 
grown,  and  buried  themselves  immediately  in  the  earth  with 
which  they  were  supplied.  They  were  all  thick,  greasy- 
looking  caterpillars,  of  a  dark  ashen-gray  color,  with  a 
brown  head,  a  blackish  horny  spot  on  the  top  of  the  first 
and  last  rings,  a  pale  stripe  along  the  back,  and  several 
minute  black  dots  on  each  ring.  They  were  soon  changed 
to  chrysalids,  of  a  shining  mahogany-brown  color ;  and  be- 
tween the  20th  of  July  and  the  loth  of  August  they  came 
out  of  the  ground  in  the  moth  state.  Much  to  my  surprise, 
however,  these  cut-worms  produced  five  different  species 
of  moths ;  and,  when  it  was  too  late,  I  regretted  that  they 
had  not  been  more  carefully  examined,  and  compared  to- 
gether before  their  transformation. 

The  largest  of  these  moths  may  be  called  Agrotis  telifera, 
the  lance-rustic.  It  closely  resembles  Agrotis  suffusa,  the 
dark  sword-rustic  of  Europe.  The  fore  wings  are  light 
brown,  shaded  with  dark  brown  along  the  outer  thick  edge, 
and  in  the  middle  also  in  the  female  ;  these  wings  are  divided 
56* 


444  LEPIDOPTERA. 

into  three  nearly  equal  parts  by  two  transverse  bands,  each 
composed  of  two  wavy  dark  brown  lines ;  in  the  middle 
space  are  situated  the  two  ordinary  spots,  together  with  a 
third  oval  spot,  which  touches  the  anterior  band ;  these  spots 
are  encircled  with  dark  brown,  and  the  kidney-spot  bears  a 
dark  brown  lance-shaped  mark  on  its  hinder  part ;  the  hind- 
most third  of  the  wing  is  crossed  by  a  broad  pale  band,  and 
is  ornamented  by  a  narrow  wavy  or  festooned  line,  and 
several  small  blackish  spots  near  the  margin.  The  hind 
wings  are  pearly  white,  and  semitransparent,  shaded  behind, 
and  veined  with  dusky  brown.  The  thorax  is  brown  or 
gray-brown,  with  the  edge  of  the  collar  blackish.  The  abdo- 
men is  gray.  The  wings  expand  two  inches  or  more. 

Another  of  these  moths  is  the  counterpart  of  the  cequa  and 
agricola  of  Europe.  It  also  resembles  the  telifera  in  form, 
but  is  destitute  of  the  lance-shaped  spot  on  the  fore  wings ; 
and  hence  I  have  named  it  Agrotis  inermis,  the  unarmed 
rustic-moth.  The  fore  wings  are  light  brown,  shaded  in  the 
middle  and  towards  the  hinder  margin  with  dusky  brown  ; 
they  are  crossed  by  four  more  or  less  distinct,  wavy  bands, 
each  formed  of  two  blackish  lines  ;  the  kidney-spot  is  dusky ; 
and  there  are  several  blackish  spots  on  the  outer  thick  edge 
of  the  wing.  The  hind  wings  are  pearly  white  in  the  middle, 
shaded  behind  and  veined  with  dusky  brown.  The  thorax  is 
reddish  brown,  with  the  collar  and  shoulder-covers  doubly 
edged  with  black.  The  abdomen  is  gray.  It  expands  two 
inches. 

The  reaping  rustic  (Agrotis  messoria),  as  it  may  be  called, 
is  the  representative  of  the  corn-rustic  (Agrotis  segetum)  of 
Europe.  The  fore  wings  are  reddish  gray,  crossed  by  five 
wavy  blackish  bands,  the  first  two  of  which,  and  generally 
the  fourth  also,  are  double ;  the  two  ordinary  spots,  and  a 
third  oval  spot  near  the  middle  of  the  wing,  are  bordered 
with  black.  The  hind  wings  are  whitish,  becoming  dusky 
brown  behind,  and  have  a  small  central  crescent  and  the 
veins  dusky.  The  head  and  thorax  are  chinchilla-gray  ;  the 


THE    CHECKERED    RUSTIC.  445 

collar  is  edged  with  black ;  and  the  abdomen  is  light  brown- 
ish gray.     It  expands  one  inch  and  four  tenths. 

The  smallest  of  these  rustic  moths  may  be  called  Agrotis 
tessellata  (Fig.  221),  the  checkered 
rustic.  It  probably  comes  near  to 
the  ocettina  and  aquilina  of  Europe, 
which,  however,  I  have  not  seen. 
The  fore  wings  are  dark  ash-colored, 
and  exhibit  only  a  faint  trace  of  the 
transverse  double  wavy  bands  ;  the 
two  ordinary  spots  are  large  and  pale,  and  alternate  with 
a  triangular  and  a  square  deep  black  spot ;  there  is  a  smaller 
black  spot  near  the  base  of  the  wing.  The  hind  wings  are 
brownish  gray  in  the  middle,  and  blackish  behind.  It  ex- 
pands one  inch  and  one  quarter. 

The  fifth  species  I  am  assured  by  one  of  my  friends  is  the 
moth  of  the  cabbage  cut-worm.  It  agrees,  in  the  main,  with 
the  description  given  of  the  Phalcena  Noctua  devastator,  by 
Mr.  John  P.  Brace,  in  the  first  volume  of  Professor  Silli- 
man's  "American  Journal  of  Science";  and  may  therefore 
be  called  Agrotis  devastator.  It  somewhat  resembles  Dr. 
Boisduval's  figures  of  the  Agrotis  latens  of  Europe.  The 
fore  wings  are  of  a  dark  ashen-gray  color,  with  a  lustre  like 
satin  ;  they  are  crossed  by  four  narrow  wavy  whitish  bands, 
which  are  edged  on  each  side  with  black ;  there  is  a  trans- 
verse row  of  white  dots  followed  by  a  row  of  black,  arrow- 
shaped  spots,  between  the  third  and  fourth  bands,  and  three 
white  dots  on  the  outer  edge  near  the  tip ;  the  ordinary  spots 
are  edged  with  black  and  white,  and  there  is  a  third  spot,  of 
an  oval  shape  and  blackish  color,  near  the  middle  of  the 
wing,  and  touching  the  second  band.  The  hind  wings  are 
light  brownish  gray,  almost  of  a  dirty  white  in  the  middle, 
and  dusky  behind.  The  head  and  thorax  are  chinchilla- 
gray  ;  and  the  abdomen  is  colored  like  the  hind  wings.  It 
expands  from  one  inch  and  five  eighths  to  one  inch  and  three 
quarters.  This  kind  of  moth  is  very  common  between  the 


446  LEPIDOPTERA. 

10th  of  July  and  the  middle  of  August.  Like  all  the  fore- 
going species,  it  flies  only  at  night.  According  to  Mr.  Brace, 
this  moth  lays  its  eggs  in  the  beginning  of  autumn,  at  the 
roots  of  trees,  and  near  the  ground ;  the  eggs  are  hatched 
early  in  May;  the  cutworms  continue  their  depredations 
about  four  weeks,  then  cast  their  skin  and  become  pupae  or 
chrysalids  in  the  earth,  a  few  inches  below  the  surface  of  the 
ground ;  the  pupa  state  lasts  four  weeks,  and  the  moth  comes 
out  about  the  middle  of  July ;  it  conceals  itself  in  the  crev- 
ices of  buildings  and  beneath  the  bark  of  trees,  and  is  never 
seen  during  the  day ;  about  sunset  it  leaves  its  hiding- 
place,  is  constantly  on  the  wing,  is  very  troublesome  about 
the  candles  in  houses,  flies  rapidly,  and  is  not  easily  taken.* 
From  what  is  known  respecting  the  history  of  the  other 
kinds  of  Agrotis,  and  from  the  size  that  the  cabbage  cut- 
worms are  found  to  have  attained  in  May,  I  am  led  to  infer 
that  they  must  generally  be  hatched  in  the  previous  autumn, 
and  that,  after  feeding  awhile  on  such  food  as  they  can  find 
immediately  under  the  surface  of  the  soil,  they  descend 
deeper  into  the  ground  and  remain  curled  up,  in  little 
cavities  which  each  one  makes  for  itself  in  the  earth,  till 
the  following  spring. 

Dr.  F.  E.  Melsheimer,  of  Dover,  Pennsylvania,  has 
favored  me  with  the  wing  of  a  moth,  which  he  states  is 
produced  from  the  corn  cut-worm.  The  following  remarks 
on  this  insect  are  extracted  from  his  letters.  "  There  are 
several  species  of  Agrotis,  the  larvae  of  which  are  injuri- 
ous to  culinary  plants  ;  but  the  chief  culprit  with  us  is  the 
same  as  that  which  is  destructive  to  young  maize."  "  The 
corn  cut-worms  make  their  appearance  in  great  numbers  at 
irregular  periods,  and  confine  themselves  in  their  devasta- 
tions to  no  particular  vegetables,  all  that  are  succulent  being 
relished  by  these  indiscriminate  devourers ;  but,  if  their 
choice  is  not  limited,  they  prefer  maize  plants  when  not 
more  than  a  few  inches  above  the  earth,  early  sown  buck- 

*  American  Journal  of  Science,  Vol.  1.  p.  164. 


THE    CLANDESTINE    OWLET-MOTH.  447 

wheat,  young  pumpkin-plants,  young  beans,  cabbage-plants, 
and  many  other  field  and  garden  vegetables."  "  When  first 
disclosed  from  the  eggs,  they  subsist  on  the  various  grasses. 
They  descend  in  the  ground  on  the  approach  of  severe  frosts, 
and  reappear  in  the  spring  about  half  grown.  They  seek 
their  food  in  the  night  or  in  cloudy  weather,  and  retire 
before  sunrise  into  the  ground,  or  beneath  stones  or  any 
substance  which  can  shelter  them  from  the  rays  of  the  sun ; 
here  they  remain  coiled  up  during  the  day,  except  while 
devouring  the  food  which  they  generally  drag  into  their 
places  of  concealment.  Their  transformation  to  pupa3  oc- 
curs at  different  periods,  sometimes  earlier,  sometimes  later, 
according  to  the  forwardness  of  the  season,  but  usually  not 
much  later  than  the  middle  of  July."  "  The  moths,  as 
well  as  the  larvae,  vary  much  in  the  depth  of  their  color, 
from  a  pale  ash  to  a  deep  or  obscure  brown.  The  ordinary 
spots  of  the  upper  wings  of  the  moth  are  always  connected 
by  a  blackish  line ;  where  the  color  is  of  the  deepest  shade 
those  spots  are  scarcely  visible,  but  when  the  color  is  lighter 
they  are  very  obvious." 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  I  have  repeatedly  ob- 
tained the  same  moths  from  cut-worms  here.  The  latter 
seem,  indeed,  to  be  the  most  common  kind ;  but  they  differ 
very  little  from  the  cut-worms  already  described.  They 
vary  somewhat  in  color,  as  remarked  by  Dr.  Melsheimer. 
Young  ones  are  always  more  or  less  distinctly  marked  above 
with  pale  and  dark  stripes,  and  are  uniformly  paler  below. 
The  moth  is  very  abundant  in  the  New  England  States, 
from  the  middle  of  June  till  the  middle  or  end  of  August. 
The  fore  wings  are  generally  of  a  dark  ash-color,  with 
only  a  very  faint  trace  of  the  double  transverse  wavy  bands 
that  are  found  in  most  species  of  Agrotis  ;  the  two  ordinary 
spots  are  small  and  narrow,  the  anterior  spot  being  oblong 
oval,  and  connected  with  the  oblique  kidney-shaped  spot 
by  a  longitudinal  black  line.  The  hind  wings  are  dirty 
brownish-white,  somewhat  darker  behind.  The  head,  the 


448  LEPIDOPTERA. 

collar,  and  the  abdomen  are  chestnut-colored.  It  expands 
one  inch  and  three  quarters.  The  wings,  when  shut,  over- 
lap on  their  inner  edges,  and  cover  the  top  of  the  back  so 
flatly  and  closely  that  these  moths  can  get  into  very  narrow 
crevices.  During  the  day  they  lie  hidden  under  the  bark 
of  trees,  in  the  chinks  of  fences,  and  even  under  the  loose 
clapboards  of  buildings.  When  the  blinds  of  our  houses  are 
opened  in  the  morning,  a  little  swarm  of  these  insects, 
which  had  crept  behind  them  for  concealment,  is  sometimes 
exposed,  and  suddenly  aroused  from  their  daily  slumber. 
This  kind  of  moth  has  the  form  and  general  appearance 
of  some  species  of  Pyrophila,  but  not  the  essential  characters 
of  the  genus.  It  differs  also  from  Agrotis  and  Grraphiphora 
in  some  respects,  and  therefore  I  have  thought  it  best  to 
leave  it,  for  the  present,  in  the  old  genus  Noctua,  under  the 
specific  name  of  clandestine  the  clandestine  owlet-moth. 

Among  the  various  remedies  that  have  been  proposed  for 
preventing  the  ravages  of  cut-worms  in  wheat  and  corn 
fields,  may  be  mentioned  the  soaking  of  the  grain,  before 
planting,  in  copperas-water  and  other  solutions  supposed  to 
be  disagreeable  to  the  insects ;  rolling  the  seed  in  lime  or 
ashes ;  and  mixing  salt  with  the  manure.  These  may  pre- 
vent wire-worms  (lull)  and  some  insects  from  destroying 
the  seed  ;  but  cut-worms  prey  only  on  the  sprouts  and  young 
stalks,  and  do  not  eat  the  seeds.  Such  stimulating  applica- 
tions may  be  of  some  benefit,  by  promoting  a  more  rapid  and 
vigorous  growth  of  the  grain,  by  which  means  the  sprouts 
will  the  sooner  become  so  strong  and  rank  as  to  resist  or 
escape  the  attacks  of  the  young  cut-worms.  Fall-ploughing 
of  sward-lands,  which  are  intended  to  be  sown  with  wheat 
or  planted  with  corn  the  year  following,  will  turn  up  and 
expose  the  insects  to  the  inclemency  of  winter,  whereby  many 
of  them  will  be  killed,  and  will  also  bring  them  within  reach 
of  insect^eating  birds.  But  this  seems  to  be  a  doubtful  rem- 
edy, against  which  many  objections  have  been  urged.* 

•  Sec  Mr.  Colman's  Third  Report  of  the  Agriculture  of  Massachusetts,  p.  62. 


REMEDIES     AGAINST     CUT-WORMS.  449 

The  only  effectual  remedy  at  present  known  has  been 
humorously  described  by  Mr.  Asahel  Foote  in  the  "  Albany 
Cultivator,"  and  reprinted  in  the  seventeenth  volume  of  the 
"  New  England  Farmer."  After  having  lost  more  than 
a  tenth  part  of  the  corn  in  his  field,  he  "  ordered  his  men 
to  prepare  for  war,  to  sharpen  their  finger-ends,  and  set  at 
once  about  exhuming  the  marauders.  For  several  days  'it 
seemed  as  if  a  whole  procession  came  to  each  one's  funeral, 
but  at  length  victory  wreathed  the  brow  of  perseverance ; 
and,  the  precaution  having  been  taken  to  replace  each  foe 
dislodged  with  a  suitable  quantity  of  good  seed-corn,  he  soon 
had  the  pleasure  to  see  his  field  restored,  in  a  good  measure, 
to  its  original  order  and  beauty,  there  being  seldom  a  va- 
cancy in  a  piece  of  four  acres."  Mr.  Foote's  statement, 
founded  on  an  estimate  of  the  time  employed  in  digging 
up  and  killing  the  cut-worms,  and  the  increased  produce 
of  the  field,  is  conclusive  in  favor  of  this  mode  of  checking 
the  ravages  of  these  insects. 

Mr.  Deane  states  that  he  "  once  prevented  the  depreda- 
tions of  cut-worms  in  his  garden  by  manuring  the  soil  with 
sea-mud.  The  plants  generally  escaped,  though  every  one 
was  cut  off  in  a  spot  of  ground  contiguous."  He  acknowl- 
edges, however,  that  "  the  most  effectual,  and  not  a  labo- 
rious remedy,  even  in  field-culture,  is  to  go  round  every 
morning,  and  open  the  earth  at  the  foot  of  the  plant,  and 
you  will  never  fail  to  find  the  worm  at  the  root,  within 
four  inches.  Kill  him,  and  you  will  save  not  only  the 
other  plants  of  your  field,  but,  probably,  many  thousands 
in  future  years."  Mr.  Preston,  of  Stockport,  Pennsylvania, 
protected  his  cabbage-plants  from  cut-worms  by  wrapping 
a  walnut  or  hickory  leaf  around  the  stem,  between  the 
roots  and  leaves,  before  planting  it  in  the  ground.  The 
late  Honorable  Oliver  Fiske,  of  Worcester,  Massachusetts, 
says,  that  "to  search  out  the  spoiler,  and  kill  him,  is  the 
very  best  course ;  but,  as  his  existence  is  not  known  except 
bv  his  ravages,  I  make  a  fortress  for  my  cabbage-plants  with 

57 


450 


LEPIDOPTEBA. 


paper,  winding  it  conically  and  firmly  above  the  root,  and 
securing  it  by  a  low  embankment  of  earth." 

In  the  summer  of  1851,  one  of  our  agricultural  news- 
papers contained  an  account  of  certain  naked  caterpillars, 
that  came  out  of  the  ground  in  the  night,  and,  crawling 
up  the  trunks  of  fruit-trees,  devoured  the  leaves,  and  re- 
turned to  conceal  themselves  in  the  ground  before  morning.* 
Perhaps  these  depredators  were  the  same  as  the  following. 
Roses,  currant-bushes,  and  other  shrubs,  and  even  young 
trees,  often  lose  their  tender  shoots,  by  having  them  cut 
off  and  devoured  during  the  night.  This  is  the  work  of 
a  naked  caterpillar,  which  generally  grows  to  a  larger  size 
than  the  common  cut-worm,  and,  like  the  latter,  may  be 
found  by  digging  at  the  root  of  the  plant.  One  of  these 
spoilers,  which  was  turned  out  of  his  burrow  early  in  June, 
measured  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length.  His  body  was 
livid  or  brownish  and  shining  above,  with  a  chestnut-col- 
ored head,  and  a  horny  spot  of  the  same  color  on  the  top 
of  the  first  and  last  rings.  A  few  minute  dots,  producing 
very  short  inconspicuous  hairs,  were  regularly  disposed  upon 
his  body.  This  caterpillar  changed  to  a  chrysalis  in  the 

ground,  and  was  trans- 
formed to  a  moth  (Fig. 
222)  on  the  1st  of  July. 
The  moth  very  often  en- 
ters houses  in  the  even- 
ing, during  the  months 
of  July  and  August,  and, 
in  its  restrained  flight, 
keeps  bobbing  against  the  ceiling  and  walls.  When  it 
alights,  it  sits  with  its  wings  sloping  in  the  form  of  a  steep 
roof.  It  is  easily  distinguished  by  its  Spanish-brown  upper 
wings,  marked  with  a  large  pale  kidney-spot,  and  a  broad 
wavy  blue-gray  band  near  the  end.  Its  eyes  when  living 
shine  like  coals  of  fire.  It  has  been  described  by  mistake 

*  See  Massachusetts  Ploughman  for  June  28,  1861. 


Fig.  222. 


THE    ZEBRA    CATERPILLAR.  451 

as  a  British  species,  under  the  name  of  Hadena  arnica,  or 
the  barred  arches-moth.  The  wings  of  this  moth  expand 
an  inch  and  three  quarters,  or  more,  and  are  proportionally 
broader  than  those  of  the  cut-worm  moths.  The  general 
color  of  the  fore  wings,  as  already  stated,  is  deep  Spanish- 
brown,  variegated  with  gray.  The  small  ordinary  oval 
spot  is  marked  by  a  gray  border.  The  kidney-spot  is  large, 
gray,  and  very  conspicuous.  There  is  a  broad  wavy  band 
of  a  pearl-gray  or  blue-gray  color  near  the  outer  hind  mar- 
gin, and  a  narrow  wavy  band  between  the  oval  spot  and 
shoulder.  The  hind  wings  are  pale  ash-colored,  shaded 
behind  with  brown,  having  a  pale  border,  and  a  distinct 
central  blackish  spot  beneath.  The  head  and  thorax  are 
dark  brown ;  the  collar  and  tips  of  the  shoulder-covers  are 
edged  with  rust-red ;  and  the  hind  body  is  ash-colored  or 
pale  brown,  with  a  row  of  four  rust-red  tufts  upon  it.  This 
common  moth  belongs  to  the  same  group  or  family  as  the 
following  species,  though  differing  therefrom  in  its  caterpillar 
state. 

There  is  another  naked  caterpillar  (Fig.  223)  which  is 
often  found  to  be  injurious 

.  Fig.  223. 

to  cabbages,  cauliflowers, 
spinach,  beets,  and  other 
garden  vegetables  with  suc- 
culent leaves.  It  does  not  conceal  itself  in  the  ground,  but 
lives  exposed  on  the  leaves  of  the  plants  which  it  devours. 
When  disturbed,  it  coils  its  body  spirally.  It  is  of  a  light 
yellow  color,  with  three  broad,  longitudinal,  black  stripes, 
one  on  each  side  and  the  third  on  the  top  of  the  back ;  and 
the  head,  belly,  and  feet  are  tawny.  The  lateral  black 
stripe  is  worthy  of  attentive  examination.  It  consists  of 
numerous  transverse  black  marks  somewhat  like  Runic  let- 
ters, on  a  pure  white  ground ;  but  the  white  ground,  when 
seen  without  a  glass,  seems  blue,  by  contrast  with  the  black 
characters.  Dr.  Melsheimer  calls  this  the  zebra  caterpillar, 
on  account  of  its  stripes.  It  comes  to  its  full  size  here  in 


452  LEPIDOPTERA. 

September,  and  then  measures  about  two  inches  in  length. 

Early  in  October  it  leaves  off  eating,  goes  into  the  ground, 

changes  to  a  shining  brown  chrysalis  (Fig. 

Fig.  224. 

224),  and  is  transformed  to  a  moth  about 


the  first  of  June.  It  is  probable  that  there 
are  two  broods  of  this  kind  of  caterpillar 
every  summer,  in  some,  if  not  all,  parts  of  this  country  ; 
for  Dr.  Melsheimer  informs  me  that  it  appears  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  June,  goes  into  the  ground  and  is  changed  to  a 
chrysalis  towards  the  end  of  June  or  the  beginning  of  July, 
and  comes  forth  in  the  moth  state  near  the  end  of  August. 
The  moth  may  be  called  Mamestra  picta,  the  painted  Ma- 
mestra,  in  allusion  both  to  the  beautiful  tints  of  the  cater- 
pillar, and  to  the  softly  blended  shades  of  dark  and  light 
brown  with  which  the  fore  wings  of  the  moth  are  colored. 
It  is  of  a  light  brown  color,  shaded  with  purple-brown ;  the 
ordinary  spots  on  the  fore  wings,  with  a  third  oval  spot 
behind  the  round  one,  are  edged  with  gray;  and  there  is 
a  transverse  zigzag  gray  line,  forming  a  distinct  W  in  the 
middle,  near  the  outer  hind  margin.  The  hind  wings  are 
white,  and  faintly  edged  with  brown  around  the  tip.  It  is 
evident  that  this  insect  cannot  be  included  in  either  of  the 
foregoing  groups  of  the  owlet-moths.  It  belongs  to  a  distinct 
family,  which  may  be  called  MAMESTRAD^E,  or  Mamestrians. 
The  caterpillars  in  this  group  are  generally  distinguished  by 
their  bright  colors ;  they  live  more  or  less  exposed  on  the 
leaves  of  plants,  and  transform  in  the  ground.  The  moths 
fly  by  night  only ;  most  of  them  have  the  thorax  slightly 
crested ;  and  they  are  easily  known  by  the  zigzag  b'ne,  near 
the  outer  hind  margin  of  the  fore  wings,  forming  a  W  or  M 
in  the  middle. 

As  the  caterpillar  of  the  painted  Mamestra  does  not  seek 
concealment,  it  may  easily  be  found,  and  destroyed  by  hand. 

There  is  a  small  caterpillar  which  has  been  found  inju- 
rious to  the  wheat-crop  in  England,  by  eating  the  grain 
before  and  after  it  is  ripe.  It  is  described  and  figured  by 


WHEAT-WORMS.  453 

Mr.  John  Curtis,  in  the  fifth  volume  of  the  "  Journal  of  the 
Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  England"  (pp.  477-481). 
Though  unable  to  rear  any  of  these  caterpillars,  which  al- 
ways shrivelled  up  and  died,  Mr.  Curtis,  for  reasons  stated 
by  him,  was  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  they  were 
produced  by  a  moth  called  Noctua  ( Oaradrina)  cubicularis. 
Our  agricultural  newspapers  contain  accounts  of  certain  cat- 
erpillars, much  like  the  foregoing  in  appearance  and  in 
habits,  which  devour  the  grains  of  wheat  while  growing 
and  after  being  harvested.  Their  transformations  have  not 
been  ascertained ;  and,  on  account  of  the  diminutive  size 
of  these  caterpillars,  it  remains  uncertain  whether  they  are 
the  offspring  of  any  species  of  Noctua.  Nevertheless,  this 
seems  to  be  the  most  suitable  place  to  record  what  has 
been  said  and  seen  of  them.  They  have  been  called  wheat- 
worms,  gray  worms,  and  brown  weevils  ;  and,  although  these 
different  names  may  possibly  refer  to  two  or  more  distinct 
species,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  all  of  them  are  in- 
tended for  only  one  kind  of  insect.  The  name  of  grain- 
worms  has  likewise  sometimes  been  applied  to  them ;  where- 
by it  becomes  somewhat  difficult  to  separate  the  accounts 
of  then-  history  and  depredations  from  those  of  the  wheat- 
insect,  called  Cecidomyia  Tritici.  It  may,  however,  very 
safely  be  asserted,  that  the  wheat-worm  of  the  western  part 
of  New  York  and  of  the  northern  part  of  Pennsylvania  is 
entirely  distinct  from  the  maggots  of  our  wheat-fly,  and  that 
it  does  not  belong  to  the  same  order  of  insects. 

Mr.  Willis  Gaylord  described  this  depredator  as  a  kind 
of  caterpillar,  or  span-worm,  from  three  to  five  eighths  of 
an  inch  long,  of  a  yellowish-brown  or  butternut  color,  pro- 
vided with  twelve  legs,  and  having  the  power  of  spinning 
and  suspending  itself  by  a  thread.  He  stated  that  it  not 
only  fed  on  the  kernel  in  the  milky  state,  but  also  devoured 
the  germinating  end  of  the  ripened  grain,  without,  however, 
burying  itself  within  the  hull;  and  that  it  was  found,  in 
great  numbers,  in  the  chaff,  when  the  grain  was  threshed. 
57* 


454  LEPIDOPTEBA. 

According  to  him,  it  had  been  known  for  years  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  New  York ;  and  it  was  not  so  much  the  new 
appearance  of  the  insect,  as  its  increase,  which  had  caused 
alarm  respecting  it.*  Mr.  Nathaniel  Sill,  of  Warren,  Penn- 
sylvania, has  given  a  somewhat  different  description  of  it.f 
On  threshing  his  winter-wheat,  immediately  after  harvest, 
he  found  among  the  screenings  a  vast  army  of  this  new  en- 
emy. He  says  that  it  was  a  caterpillar,  about  three  eighths 
of  an  inch  in  length  when  fully  grown,  and  apparently  of 
a  straw  color;  but,  when  seen  through  a  magnifier,  it  was 
found  to  be  striped  lengthwise  with  orange  and  cream-color. 
Its  head  was  dark  brown.  It  was  provided  with  legs,  could 
suspend  itself  by  a  thread,  and  resembled  a  caterpillar  in  all 
its  motions. 

This  insect  ought  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  smaller 
worms  found  by  Mr.  Sill  in  the  upper  joints  of  the  stems 
of  the  wheat,  and  within  the  kernels,  until  their  identity 
has  been  proved  by  further  observations.  It  appears  highly 
probable  that  Mr.  Gaylord's  and  Mr.  Sill's  wheat-caterpillars 
are  the  same,  notwithstanding  the  difference  in  their  color. 
Insects,  of  the  same  size  as  these  caterpillars,  and  of  a 
brownish  color,  have  been  found  in  various  parts  of  Maine, 
where  they  have  done  much  injury  to  the  grain.  Unlike 
the  maggots  of  the  wheat-fly,  with  which  they  have  been 
confounded,  they  remain  depredating  upon  the  ears  of  the 
grain  until  after  the  time  of  harvest.  Immense  numbers 
of  them  have  been  seen  upon  barn-floors,  where  the  grain 
has  been  threshed,  but  they  soon  crawl  away  and  conceal 
themselves  in  crevices,  where  they  probably  undergo  their 
transformations.  Mr.  Elijah  Wood,  of  Winthrop,  Maine, 
says  that  the  chrysalis  has  been  observed  in  the  chaff  late 
in  the  fall .J  A  gentleman  from  the  southern  part  of  Pe- 
nobscot  County  informs  me  that  he  winnowed  out  nearly 
a  bushel  of  these  insects  from  his  wheat,  in  the  autumn  of 

*  The  Cultivator,  Vol.  VI.  p.  43.  t  Ibid.  p.  21. 

t  New  England  Farmer,  Vol.  XVII.  p.  73. 


WHEAT-WORMS.  455 

1840 ;  and  he  confirms  the  statements  of  others,  that  these 
worms  devour  the  grain  when  in  the  milk,  and  also  after 
it  has  become  hard.  In  the  autumn  of  1838,  the  Rev. 
Henry  Colman  observed  the  same  insect  in  the  town  of 
Egremont,  in  Berkshire  County,  Massachusetts.  It  was  sep- 
arated from  the  wheat,  in  great  quantities,  by  threshing  and 
winnowing  the  grain.* 

On  the  26th  of  September,  1846,  my  brother  brought 
to  me  a  sample  of  wheat-ears,  from  Dixmont,  Maine,  con- 
taining five  of  these  insects,  of  different  sizes.  The  largest 
measured  five  eighths  of  an  inch  in  length,  when  fully  ex- 
tended. It  was  a  very  slender  caterpillar,  having  sixteen 
legs,  and  was  not  a  true  span-worm  either  in  structure  or 
motions.  It  was  of  a  pale  reddish-brown  color,  with  three 
longitudinal  paler  or  colorless  lines  on  the  back,  and  a 
broader  pale  stripe  on  each  side  of  the  body.  The  head 
and  the  tops  of  the  first  and  last  segments  were  shining 
brown.  A  few  minute  black  points  (each  furnishing  a  short 
inconspicuous  hair)  were  regularly  disposed  on  each  seg- 
ment. The  body  beneath  and  all  the  legs  were  pale  brown- 
ish-red. Many  of  the  kernels  of  wheat  had  been  gnawed 
by  these  caterpillars ;  but  they  refused  to  eat  any  more,  and 
died  without  change.  In  the  summer  of  1850,  Dr.  Ovid 
Plumb  had  the  kindness  to  send  to  me  some  younger  speci- 
mens of  these  caterpillars,  from  Salisbury,  Connecticut,  where 
they  had  long  prevailed  in  the  wheat-fields;  and  I  saw 
them  in  the  wheat  at  the  same  place,  on  the  25th  of  July, 
1851.  They  had  grown  only  to  the  length  of  three  six- 
teenths or  one  fourth  of  an  inch  at  most ;  but  they  resembled 
the  larger  specimens  from  Maine  in  all  essential  particulars. 
They  were  too  young  and  delicate  to  survive  the  effects 
of  a  journey  without  fresh  food,  which  could  not  be  pro- 
cured for  them  after  my  return.  When  disturbed,  they 
readily  suspended  themselves  by  a  slender  thread,  were  very 
uneasy  on  being  taken  from  the  ears,  and  were  quick  in 

*  Second  Report  on  the  Agriculture  of  Massachusetts,  p.  99. 


456  LEPIDOPTERA. 

all  their  motions.  Previous  accounts  concerning  their  habits 
and  depredations  were  fully  confirmed  by  observations  and 
information  at  Salisbury. 

These  wheat-worms,  or  wheat-caterpillars,  as  they  ought 
to  be  called,  if  these  accounts  really  refer  to  the  same  kind 
of  insect,  are  supposed  by  some  persons  to  be  identical 
with  the  clover-worms,  which  have  been  found  in  clover, 
in  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  have  often  been  seen 
spinning  down  from  lofts  and  mows  where  clover  has  been 
stowed  away.*  A  striking  similarity  between  them  has  been 
noticed  by  a  writer  in  the  "  Genesee  Farmer."f  Stephen 
Sibley,  Esq.  informs  me  that  he  observed  the  clover-worms, 
in  Hopkinton,  New  Hampshire,  many  years  ago,  suspended 
in  such  numbers  by  their  threads  from  a  newly  gathered 
clover  mow,  and  from  the  timbers  of  the  building,  as  to  be 
very  troublesome  and  offensive  to  persons  passing  through 
the  barn.  He  also  states,  that,  if  he  recollects  rightly, 
these  insects  were  of  a  brown  color,  and  about  half  an 
inch  long. 

I  am  sorry  to  leave  the  history  of  these  wheat-worms 
unfinished ;  but  hope  that  the  foregoing  statements,  which 
have  been  carefully  collected  from  various  sources  and  com- 
pared with  my  own  observations,  will  tend  to  remove  some 
of  the  difficulties  wherewith  the  subject  has  been  heretofore 
involved.  The  contradictory  statements  and  unsatisfactory 
discussions  that  have  appeared  in  some  of  our  papers,  re- 
specting the  ravages  of  these  worms  and  the  maggots  of 
the  wheat-fly,  might  have  been  avoided,  if  the  writers  on 
these  insects  had  always  been  careful  to  give  a  correct  and 
full  description  of  the  insects  in  question.  Had  this  been 
done,  a  crawling  worm  or  caterpillar,  of  a  brownish  color, 
three  eighths  or  one  half  of  an  inch  in  length,  provided  with 
legs,  and  capable  of  suspending  itself  by  a  silken  thread 
of  its  own  spinning,  would  never  have  been  mistaken  for 
a  writhing  maggot,  of  a  deep  yellow  color,  only  one  tenth 

•  New  England  Farmer,  Vol.  XVII.  p.  73.  f  Ibid.,  p.  164. 


THE     COTTON-WORM.  457 

of  an  inch  long,  destitute  of  legs,  and  unable  to  spin  a 
thread.  As  these  destructive  wheat-caterpillars  may  be  sep- 
arated from  the  wheat  by  threshing  and  winnowing,  the 
chaff  containing  them  may  be  put  into  large  tubs,  into  which 
also  a  sufficient  quantity  of  boiling-hot  water  may  then  be 
poured  to  kill  all  the  insects.  This  will  at  least  prevent 
their  making  their  escape,  completing  their  transformations, 
and  laying  the  foundation  of  another  brood. 

At  the  end  of  the  tribe  of  owlet-moths  may  be  arranged 
certain  insects,  which,  from  the  structure  of  their  caterpillars 
and  their  manner  of  creeping,  evidently  seem  to  connect 
this  tribe  with  the  Geometers.  Some  of  these  caterpillars 
have  the  first,  and  sometimes  also  the  second,  pair  of  prop- 
legs,  under  the  middle  of  the  body,  so  short,  that  they  cannot 
be  used  in  creeping ;  others  have  only  twelve  or  fourteen 
legs,  the  first  pair  of  the  prop-legs,  or  the  second  also,  being 
entirely  wanting  in  them.  These  caterpillars  creep  with  a 
kind  of  halting  gait,  and  arch  up  the  middle  of  the  body, 
more  or  less,  with  every  step  they  take,  thereby  imitating 
the  gait  of  the  true  geometers  or  span-worms.  To  this 
group  belong  the  army-worms,  or  cotton-worms,  which  rav- 
age the  cotton-fields  of  the  Southern  States.  They  have 
sixteen  legs ;  but  the  foremost  prop-legs  are  shorter  than  the 
rest,  and  the  caterpillars  crook  their  backs  in  creeping,  which 
has  caused  them  to  be  mistaken  for  geometers  by  some 
writers.  The  cotton-worm  is  green,  doubly  striped  with 
black  on  the  back,  and  sprinkled  with  black  dots.  It  grows 
to  the  length  of  an  inch  and  a  half,  transforms  in  a  kind 
of  web  or  imperfect  cocoon,  and  becomes  an  olive-brown 
moth,  called  Noctua  xylina  by  Mr.  Say.  It  is  found  only 
as  far  as  the  cotton-plant  is  cultivated,  and  never  occurs  in 
New  England.  The  twelve-legged  caterpillars  are  sometimes 
injurious  to  cultivated  vegetables  ;  but  not  enough  so,  in  this 
country,  to  have  attracted  much  notice.  Their  moths  are 
distinguished  by  golden  or  silvery  spots  on  their  fore  wings. 
The  species,  with  the  first  and  second  pairs  of  prop-legs  short 

58 


458  LEPIDOPTERA. 

and  rudimentary,  feed  mostly  on  the  leaves  of  shrubs  and 
trees ;  their  moths  are  of  large  size,  with  the  hind  wings 
often  crimson,  scarlet,  or  yellow,  and  traversed  by  black 
bands.  But  as  these  insects  are  not  particularly  interesting 
to  the  farmer,  any  further  account  of  them,  in  this  treatise, 
will  be  unnecessary. 

3.    GEOMETERS.     ( Geometra.) 

The  caterpillars  of  the  GEOMETRY  of  Linnaeus,  earth- 
measurers,  as  the  term  implies,  or  geometers,  span-worms, 
and  loopers,  have  received  these  several  names  from  their 
peculiar  manner  of  moving,  in  winch  they  seem  to  measure 
or  span  over  the  ground,  step  by  step,  as  they  proceed. 
Most  of  these  caterpillars  have  only  ten  legs ;  namely,  six, 
which  are  jointed  and  tapering,  under  the  fore  part  of  the 
body,  and  four  fleshy  prop-legs,  at  the  hinder  extremity ;  the 
three  intermediate  pairs  of  prop-legs  being  wanting.  Con- 
sequently, in  creeping,  they  arch  up  the  back  while  they 
bring  forward  the  hinder  part  of  the  body,  and  then,  resting 
on  their  hind  legs,  stretch  out  to  their  fiill  length,  in  a 
straight  line,  before  taking  another  step  with  their  hind  legs. 
Some  of  the  Geometers  have  twelve  or  fourteen  legs ;  but 
the  additional  prop-legs  are  so  short  that  the  caterpillars 
cannot  use  them  in  creeping,  and  their  motions  are  the 
same  as  those  that  have  only  ten  legs.  Some  caterpillars 
with  fourteen  legs,  and  wanting  only  the  terminal  pair  of 
prop-legs,  are  placed  in  this  tribe,  on  account  of  the  resem- 
blance of  their  motlis  to  those  of  the  true  Geometers. 

The  latter  live  on  trees  and  bushes,  and  most  of  them 
undergo  their  transformations  upon  or  in  the  ground,  to 
reach  which,  by  travelling  along  the  branches  and  down 
the  stem,  would  be  a  long  and  tedious  journey  to  them, 
on  account  of  the  deficiency  of  their  legs,  and  the  slowness 
of  their  gait.  But  they  are  not  reduced  to  this  necessity ; 
tor  they  have  the  power  of  letting  themselves  down  from 


GEOMETERS.  459 

any  height,  by  means  of  a  silken  thread,  which  they  spin 
from  their  mouths  while  falling.  Whenever  they  are  dis- 
turbed they  make  use  of  this  faculty,  drop  suddenly,  and 
hang  suspended  till  the  danger  is  past,  after  which  they 
climb  up  again  by  the  same  thread.  In  order  to  do  this, 
the  span-worm  bends  back  its  head  and  catches  hold  of  the 
thread  above  its  head  with  one  of  the  legs  of  the  third 
segment,  then,  raising  its  head,  it  seizes  the  thread  with  its 
jaws  and  fore  legs,  and,  by  repeating  the  same  operations 
with  tolerable  rapidity,  it  soon  reaches  its  former  station 
on  the  tree.  These  span-worms  are  naked,  or  only  thinly 
covered  with  very  short  down ;  they  are  mostly  smooth, 
but  sometimes  have  warts  or  irregular  projections  on  their 
backs.  They  change  their  color  usually  as  they  grow  older, 
are  sometimes  striped,  and  sometimes  of  one  uniform  color, 
nearly  resembling  the  bark  of  the  plants  on  which  they  are 
found.  When  not  eating,  many  of  them  rest  on  the  two 
hindmost  pairs  of  legs  against  the  side  of  a  branch,  with  the 
body  extended  from  the  branch,  so  that  they  might  be  mis- 
taken for  a  twig  of  the  tree ;  and  in  this  position  they  will 
often  remain  for  hours  together. 

When  about  to  transform,  most  of  these  insects  descend 
from  the  plants  on  which  they  live,  and  either  bury  them- 
selves in  the  ground,  or  conceal  themselves  on  the  surface 
under  a  slight  covering  of  leaves  fastened  together  with 
silken  threads.  Some  make  more  regular  cocoons,  which, 

o  7  ' 

however,  are  very  thin,  and  generally  more  or  less  covered 
on  the  outside  with  leaves.  rig.  225 

The  cocoons  of  the  European, 
tailed  Geometer  {Ourapteryx 
sambucaria),  which  lives  on 
the  elder,  and  of  our  chain- 
dotted  Geometer  ( Greometra 
catenaria),  (Fig.  225,  Fig.  226 
cocoon,  Fig.  227  larva,)  which 
is  found  on  the  wood- wax,  are  made  with  regular  meshes,  like 
58* 


4fiO  LEPIDOPTERA. 

net- work,  through  which  the  insects  may  be  seen.     A  very 

few  of  the  span-worms  fasten 
themselves  to  the  stems  of 
plants,  and  are  changed  to 
chrysalids,  which  hang  sus- 
pended, without  the  protection 
of  any  outer  covering. 

In  their  perfected  state, 
these  insects  are  mostly  slen- 
der-bodied moths,  with  taper- 
ing antennae,  which  are  often 
feathered  in  the  males.  Their 
feelers  are  short  and  slender ;  the  tongue  is  short  and  weak  ; 
the  thorax  is  not  crested ;  the  wings  are  large,  thin,  and 
delicate,  sometimes  angular,  and  often  marked  with  one  or 
two  dark-colored  oblique  bands.  They  generally  rest  with 
the  wings  slightly  inclined,  and  almost  horizontal ;  some  with 
them  extended,  and  others  with  the  hind  wings  covered 
by  the  upper  pair.  A  very  few  carry  their  wings  like  the 
Skippers.  Some  of  the  females  are  without  wings,  and  are 
distinguished  also  by  the  oval  and  robust  form  of  their  bodies. 
These  moths  are  most  active  in  the  night ;  but  some  of  them 
may  be  seen  flying  in  thickets  during  the  day-time.  They 
are  very  short-lived,  and  die  soon  after  their  eggs  are  laid. 

Those  kinds,  whereof  the  females  are  wingless,  or  have 
only  very  short,  scale-like  wings,  and  naked  antennae,  while 
the  males  have  large,  entire  wings,  and  feathered  or  downy 
antennae,  seem  to  form  a  distinct  group,  which  may  be 
named  Hybernians  (HYBERNIADJS),  from  the  principal  genus 
included  therein.  The  caterpillars  have  only  ten  legs,  six 
before  and  four  behind ;  and  they  undergo  their  transforma- 
tions in  the  ground.  The  insects  called  canker-worms  in 
this  country,  are  of  this  kind.  The  moths  from  which  they 
:uv  produced  belong  to  the  genus  Anisopteryx,*  so  named 
in  XIIIH-  sjHicies  the  wings  in  the  two  sexes  are  very 

*   Liti-mlly   une'junl  winy. 


THE     CANKER-WORM.  461 

unequal  in  size,  and  in  others  the  females  are  wingless. 
Among  those  whose  females  are  wingless  are  the  canker- 
worm  moths.  In  the  late  Professor  Peck's  "  Natural  His- 
tory of  the  Canker- Worm,"  which  was  published  among  the 
papers  of  "  the  Massachusetts  Society  for  Promoting  Ag- 
riculture," and  obtained  a  prize  from  the  Society,  this  insect 
is  called  Phalcena  vernata,  on  account  of  its  common  ap- 
pearance in  the  spring,  and  also  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
winter  moth  (Pkalcena  or  Cheimatobia  brumata)  of  Europe. 
In  the  male  canker-worm  moth  (Fig. 
228)  the  antennae  have  a  very  nar- 
row, and  almost  downy  edging,  on 
each  side,  hardly  to  be  seen  with  the 
naked  eye.  The  feelers  are  minute, 
and  do  not  extend  beyond  the  mouth. 
The  tongue  is  not  visible.  The  wings 

are  large,  very  thin,  and  silky ;  and,  when  the  insect  is  at 
rest,  the  fore  wings  are  turned  back,  entirely  cover  the  hind 
wings,  and  overlap  on  their  inner  edges.  The  fore  wings 
are  ash-colored,  with  a  distinct  whitish  spot  on  the  front 
edge,  near  the  tip ;  they  are  crossed  by  two  jagged,  whitish 
bands,  along  the  sides  of  which  there  are  several  blackish 
dots ;  the  outermost  band  has  an  angle  near  the  front  edge, 
within  which  there  is  a  short,  faint,  blackish  line ;  and  there 
is  a  row  of  black  dots  along  the  outer  margin,  close  to  the 
fringe.  The  hind  wings  are  pale  ash-colored,  with  a  faint 
blackish  dot  near  the  middle.  The  wings  expand  about  one 
inch  and  a  quarter. 

This  is  the  usual  appearance  of  the  male,  in  its  most 
perfect  condition ;  by  which  it  will  be  seen  that  it  closely 
resembles  the  Anlsopteryx  ^Escularia  of  Europe.  Compared 
with  the  latter,  I  find  that  our  canker-worm  moth  is  rather 
smaller,  the  wings  are  darker,  proportionally  shorter  and 
more  obtuse,  the  white  bands  are  less  distinct,  and  are 
often  entirely  wanting,  in  which  case  only  the  whitish  spot- 
near  the  tip  remains,  the  hind  wings  are  more  dusky,  and 


4t',-_>  LEPIDOPTERA. 

the  feelers  are  gray  instead  of  being  white.  Specimens  of 
a  rather  smaller  size  are  sometimes  found,  resembling  the 
figure  and  description  given  by  Professor  Peck,  in  which 
the  whitish  bands  and  spot  are  wanting,  and  there  are  three 
interrupted  dusky  lines  across  the  fore  wings,  with  an  oblique 
blackish  dash  near  the  tip.  Perhaps  they  constitute  a  dif- 
ferent species  from  that  of  the  true  canker-worm  moth. 
Should  this  be  the  case,  the  latter  may  be  called  Armapteryx 
pometaria,  or  the  Anisopteryx  of  the  orchard,  while  the 
former  should  retain  the  name  originally  given  to  it  by 
Professor  Peck.  The  female  is  wingless,  and  its  antennae 
are  short,  slender,  and  naked.  Its  body  approaches  to  an 
oval  form,  but  tapers  and  is  turned  up  behind.  It  is  dark 
ash-colored  above,  and  gray  beneath. 

It  was  formerly  supposed  that  the  canker-worm  moths 
came  out  of  the  ground  only  in  the  spring.  It  is  now 
known  that  many  of  them  rise  in  the  autumn  and  in  the 
early  part  of  the  winter.  In  mild  and  open  winters  I  have 
seen  them  in  every  month  from  October  to  March.  They 
begin  to  make  their  appearance  after  the  first  hard  frosts 
in  the  autumn,  usually  towards  the  end  of  October,  and 
they  continue  to  come  forth,  in  greater  or  smaller  numbers, 
according  to  the  mildness  or  severity  of  the  weather  after 
the  frosts  have  begun.  Their  general  time  of  rising  is  in 
the  spring,  beginning  about  the  middle  of  March,  but  some- 
times before,  and  sometimes  after,  this  time ;  and  they  con- 
tinue to  come  forth  for  the  space  of  about  three  weeks. 
It  has  been  observed  that  there  are  more  females  than  males 
among  those  that  appear  in  the  autumn  and  winter,  and 

that  the  males  are  most  abundant  in  the  spring. 

The  sluggish  females  (Fig.  229)  instinctively  make 

¥  their  way  towards  the  nearest  trees,  and  creep 
slowly  up  their  trunks.  In  a  few  days  afterwards 
they  are  followed  by  the  winged  and  active  males, 
which  flutter  about  and  accompany  them  in  their 
Mt,  during  which  the  insects  .pair.  Soon  after  this,  the 


THE     CANKER-WORM.  463 

females  lay  their  eggs  (Fig.  230,  natural  size  and  magnified) 
upon  the  branches  of  the  trees,  placing  them 
on  their  ends,  close  together  in  rows,  form- 
ing clusters  of  from  sixty  to  one  hundred 
eggs  or  more,  which  is  the  number  usually 
laid  by  each  female.  The  eggs  are  glued 
to  each  other,  and  to  the  bark,  by  a  grayish  varnish,  which 
is  impervious  to  water;  and  the  clusters  are  thus  securely 
fastened  in  the  forks  of  the  small  branches,  or  close  to  the 
young  twigs  and  buds.  Immediately  after  the  insects  have 
thus  provided  for  a  succession  of  their  kind,  they  begin  to 
languish,  and  soon  die.  The  eggs  are  usually  hatched  be- 
tween the  first  and  the  middle  of  May,  or  about  the  time 
that  the  red  currant  is  in  blossom,  and  the  young  leaves 
of  the  apple-tree  begin  to  start  from  the  bud  and  grow. 
The  little  canker-worms,  upon  making  their  escape  from 
the  eggs,  gather  upon  the  tender  leaves,  and,  on  the  occur- 
rence of  cold  and  wet  weather,  creep  for  shelter  into  the 
bosom  of  the  bud,  or  into  the  flowers,  when  the  latter  ap- 
pear. As  this  treatise  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  persons 
who  are  not  acquainted  with  the  habits  and  devastations 
of  our  canker-worms,  it  should  be  stated  that,  where  these 
insects  prevail,  they  are  most  abundant  on  apple  and  elm 
trees ;  but  that  cherry,  plum,  and  lime  trees,  and  some 
other  cultivated  and  native  trees,  as  well  as  many  shrubs, 
often  suffer  severely  from  their  voracity.  The  leaves  first 
attacked  will  be  found  pierced  with  small  holes ;  these  be- 
come larger  and  more  irregular  when  the  canker-worms 
increase  in  size;  and,  at  last,  the  latter  eat  nearly  all  the 
pulpy  parts  of  the  leaves,  leaving  little  more  than  the  midrib 
and  veins. 

A  very  great  difference  of  color  is  observable  among 
canker-worms  of  different  ages,  and  even  among  those  of 
the  same  age  and  size.  It  is  possible  that  some  of  these 
variations  may  arise  from  a  difference  of  species ;  but  it  is 
also  true  that  the  same  species  varies  much  in  color.  When 


464  LEPIDOPTERA. 

very  young,  they  have  two  minute  warts  on  the  top  of  the 
last  ring;  and  they  are  then  generally  of  a  blackish  or 
dusky-brown  color,  with  a  yellowish  stripe  on  each  side 
of  the  body ;  there  are  two  whitish  bands  across  the  head ; 
and  the  belly  is  also  whitish.  When  fully 
grown  (Fig.  231),  these  individuals  become 
ash-colored  on  the  back,  and  black  on  the 
sides,  below  which  the  pale  yellowish  line 
remains.  Some  are  found  of  a  dull  greenish-yellow  and 
others  of  a  clay  color,  with  slender  interrupted  blackish  lines 
on  the  sides,  and  small  spots  of  the  same  color  on  the  back. 
Some  are  green,  with  two  white  stripes  on  the  back.  The 
head  and  the  feet  partake  of  the  general  color  of  the  body ; 
the  belly  is  paler.  When  not  eating,  they  remain  stretched 
out  at  full  length,  and  resting  on  their  fore  and  hind  legs, 
beneath  the  leaves.  When  fully  grown  and  well  fed,  they 
measure  nearly  or  quite  one  inch  in  length.  They  leave 
off  eating  when  about  four  weeks  old,*  and  begin  to  quit 
the  trees ;  some  creep  down  by  the  trunk,  but  great  numbers 
let  themselves  down  by  their  threads  from  the  branches, 
their  instincts  prompting  them  to  get  to  the  ground  by  the 
most  direct  and  easiest  course.  When  thus  descending, 
and  suspended  in  great  numbers  under  the  limbs  of  trees 
overhanging  the  road,  they  are  often  swept  off  by  passing 
carriages,  and  are  thus  conveyed  to  other  places.  After 
reaching  the  ground,  they  immediately  burrow  in  the  earth, 
to  the  depth  of  from  two  to  six  inches,  unless  prevented 
by  weakness  or  the  nature  of  the  soil.  In  the  latter  case, 
they  die,  or  undergo  their  transformations  on  the  surface. 
Fig.  282.  In  the  former,  they  make  little  cavities  or  cells 

•  .  (Fig.  232)  in  the  ground,  by  turning  round  re- 

peatedly and  fastening  the  loose  grains  of  earth 
about  them  with  a  few  silken  threads.     Within  twenty-four 

•  In  the  year  1841  the  red  currant  flowered  and  the  canker-worms  appeared  on 
the  15th  of  May.    The  insects  were  very  abundant  on  the  16th  of  June,  and  on 
the  17th  scarcely  one  was  to  be  seen. 


THE     CANKER-WORM.  465 

hours  afterwards,  they  are  changed  to  chrysalids  (Fig.  233) 
in  their  cells. 

The  chrysalis  is  of  a  light-brown  color,  and  Fis- 233 
varies  in  size  according  to  the  sex  of  the  insect  ^oggffik 
contained  in  it ;  that  of  the  female  being  the  lar- 
gest, and  being  destitute  of  a  covering  for  wings,  which  is 
found  in  the  chrysalis  of  the  males.  The  occurrence  of 
mild  weather  after  a  severe  frost  stimulates  some  of  these 
insects  to  burst  their  chrysalis  skins  and  come  forth  in 
the  perfected  state ;  and  this  last  transformation,  as  before 
stated,  may  take  place  in  the  autumn,  or  in  the  course  of 
the  winter,  as  well  as  in  the  spring ;  it  is  also  retarded,  in 
some  individuals,  for  a  year  or  more  beyond  the  usual  time. 
They  come  out  of  the  ground  mostly  in  the  night,  when 
they  may  be  seen  struggling  through  the  grass  as  far  as 
the  limbs  extend  from  the  body  of  the  trees  under  which 
they  had  been  buried.  As  the  females  are  destitute  of 
wings,  they  are  not  able  to  wander  far  from  the  trees  upon 
which  they  have  lived  in  the  caterpillar  state.  Canker- 
worms  are  therefore  naturally  confined  to  a  very  limited 
space,  from  which  they  spread  year  after  year.  Accident, 
however,  will  often  carry  them  far  from  their  native  haunts, 
and  in  this  way,  probably,  they  have  extended  to  places 
remote  from  each  other.  Where  they  have  become  estab- 
lished, and  have  been  neglected,  their  ravages  are  often 
very  great.  In  the  early  part  of  the  season,  the  canker- 
worms  do  not  attract  much  attention ;  but  it  is  in  June, 
when  they  become  extremely  voracious,  that  the  mischief 
they  have  done  is  rendered  apparent,  when  we  have  before 
us  the  melancholy  sight  of  the  foliage  of  our  fruit-trees  and 
of  our  noble  elms25  reduced  to  withered  and  lifeless  shreds, 
and  whole  orchards  looking  as  if  they  had  been  suddenly 
scorched  with  fire. 

[25  The  insect  which  ravages  the  foliage  of  our  "noble  elm"  in  the  South  is  the 
larva  of  a  beetle,  Galeruca  calmariensis,  and  hence  the  precautions  here  recom- 
mended are  inapplicable.    The  female  flies  upon  the  leaves  to  deposit  her  eggs, 
59 


466  LEPIDOPTERA. 

In  order  to  protect  our  trees  from  the  ravages  of  canker- 
worms,  where  these  looping  spoilers  abound,  it  should  be  our 
aim,  if  possible,  to  prevent  the  wingless  females  from  ascend- 
ing the  trees  to  deposit  their  eggs.  This  can  be  done  by  the 
application  of  tar  around  the  body  of  the  tree,  either  directly 
on  the  bark,  as  has  been  the  most  common  practice,  or,  what 
is  better,  over  a  broad  belt  of  clay-mortar,  or  on  strips  of  old 
canvas  or  of  strong  paper,  from  six  to  twelve  inches  wide, 
fastened  around  the  trunk  with  strings.  The  tar  must  be 
applied  as  early  as  the  first  of  November,  and  perhaps  in 
October,  and  it  should  be  renewed  daily  as  long  as  the  in- 
sects continue  rising ;  after  which  the  bands  may  be  removed, 
and  the  tar  should  be  entirely  scraped  from  the  bark.  When 
all  this  has  been  properly  and  seasonably  done,  it  has  proved 
effectual.  The  time,  labor,  and  expense  attending  the  use 
of  tar,  and  the  injury  that  it  does  to  the  trees  when  allowed 
to  run  and  remain  on  the  bark,  have  caused  many  persons 
to  neglect  this  method,  and  some  to  try  various  modifications 
of  it,  and  other  expedients. 

Among  the  modifications  may  be  mentioned  a  horizontal 
and  close-fitting  collar  of  boards,  fastened  around  the  trunk, 
and  smeared  beneath  with  tar ;  or  four  boards  nailed  together, 
like  a  box  without  top  or  bottom,  around  the  base  of  the  tree, 
to  receive  the  tar  on  the  outside.  These  can  be  used  to  pro- 
tect a  few  choice  trees  in  a  garden,  or  around  a  house  or  a 
public  square,  but  will  be  found  too  expensive  to  be  applied 
to  any  great  extent.  Collars  of  tin-plate  fastened  around 
the  trees,  and  sloping  downwards  like  an  inverted  tunnel, 
have  been  proposed,  upon  the  supposition  that  the  moths 
would  not  be  able  to  creep  in  an  inverted  position,  beneath 
the  smooth  and  sloping  surface.  This  method  will  also 
prove  too  expensive  for  general  adoption,  even  should  it  be 

and  does  not  crawl  up  the  trunk  like  the  apterous  female  of  Anisopteryx.  Some 
persons  hearing  of  the  New  England  method,  and  presuming  that  the  insects  were 
the  same,  adopted  the  plan  here  recommended,  but  of  course  it  failed.  They  were 
taught  better,  and  now  fquirt  a  decoction  of  tobacco-leaves  on  the  trees,  which  is 
an  effectual  antidote,  when  the  trees  are  not  too  high.  —  MORRIS.] 


REMEDIES     AGAINST     THE     CANKER-WORM.       467 

found  to  answer  the  purpose.  A  belt  of  cotton-wool,  which 
it  has  been  thought  would  entangle  the  feet  of  the  insects, 
and  thus  keep  them  from  ascending  the  trees,  has  not  proved 
an  effectual  bar  to  them. 

Little  square  or  circular  troughs  of  tin  or  of  lead,  filled 
with  cheap  fish-oil,  and  placed  around  the  trees,  three  feet  or 
more  above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  with  a  stuffing  of 
cloth,  hay,  or  sea-weed  between  them  and  the  trunk,  have 
long  been  used  by  various   persons  in  Massachusetts  with 
good  success ;  and  the  only  objections  to  them  are  the  cost 
of  the  troughs,  the  difficulty  of  fixing  and  keeping  them  in 
their  places,  and  the  injury  suffered  by  the  trees  when  the  oil 
is  washed  or  blown  out  and  falls  upon  the  bark.     Mr.  Jona- 
than Dennis,  Jr.,  of  Portsmouth,  Rhode  Island,  has  obtained 
a  patent  for  a  circular  leaden  trough  to  contain  oil,  offering 
some  advantages  over  those  that  have  heretofore  been  used, 
although  it  does  not  entirely  prevent  the  escape  of  the  oil, 
and  the  nails,  with  which  it  is  secured,  are  found  to  be  inju- 
rious to  the  trees.     These  troughs  ought  not  to  be  nailed  to 
the  trees,  but  should  be  supported  by  a  few  wooden  wedges 
driven  between  them  and  the  trunks.     A  stuffing  of  cloth, 
cotton,  or  tow  should  never  be  used ;  sea-weed  and  fine  hay, 
which  will  not  absorb  the  oil,  are  much  better.     Before  the 
troughs  are  fastened  and  filled,  the  body  of  the  tree  should 
be  well  coated  with  clay  paint  or  whitewash,  to  absorb  the 
oil  that  may  fall  upon  it.     Care  should  be  taken  to  renew 
the  oil  as  often  as  it  escapes  or  becomes  filled  with  the  in- 
sects.     These  troughs  will  be  found  more  economical  and 
less  troublesome  than  the  application  of  tar,  and  may  safely 
be  recommended  and  employed,  if  proper  attention  is  given 
to  the  precautions  above  named.     Some  persons  fasten  simi- 
lar troughs,  to  contain  oil,  around  the  outer  sides  of  an  open 
box  enclosing  the  base  of  the  tree,  and  a  projecting  ledge  is 
nailed  on  the  edge  of  the  box  to  shed  the  rain ;  by  this  con- 
trivance, all  danger  of  hurting  the  tree  with  the  oil  is  en- 
tirely avoided. 


468  LEPIDOPTERA. 

In  the  "  Manchester  Guardian,"  an  English  newspaper,  of 
the  4th  of  November,  1840,  is  the  following  article  on  the 
use  of  melted  Indian  rubber  to  prevent  insects  from  climbing 
up  trees.  "  At  a  late  meeting  of  the  Entomological  Society, 
[of  London?]  Mr.  J.  H.  Fennell  communicated  the  fol- 
lowing successful  mode  of  preventing  insects  ascending  the 
trunks  of  fruit-trees.  Let  a  piece  of  Indian  rubber  be  burnt 
over  a  gallipot,  into  wlu'ch  it  will  gradually  drop  in  the  con- 
dition of  a  viscid  juice,  which  state,  it  appears,  it  will  always 
retain ;  for  Mr.  Fennell  has,  at  the  present  time,  some  which 
has  been  melted  for  upwards  of  a  year,  and  has  been  exposed 
to  all  weathers  without  undergoing  the  slightest  change. 
Having  melted  the  Indian  rubber,  let  a  piece  of  cord  or 
worsted  be  smeared  with  it,  and  then  tied  several  times  round 
the  trunk.  The  melted  substance  is  so  very  sticky,  that  the 
insects  will  be  prevented,  and  generally  captured,  in  their 
attempts  to  pass  over  it.  About  three  pennyworth  of  Indian 
rubber  is  sufficient  for  the  protection  of  twenty  ordinary- 
sized  fruit-trees."  Applied  in  this  way  it  would  not  be  suf- 
ficient to  keep  the  canker-worm  moths  from  getting  up  the 
trees ;  for  the  first-comers  would  soon  bridge  over  the  cord 
with  their  bodies,  and  thus  afford  a  passage  to  their  followers. 
To  insure  success,  it  should  be  melted  in  larger  quantities, 
and  daubed  with  a  brush  upon  strips  of  cloth  or  paper, 
fastened  round  the  trunks  of  the  trees.  Worn  out  Indian 
rubber  shoes,  which  are  worth  little  or  nothing  for  any  other 
purpose,  can  be  put  to  this  use.  Tin's  plan  has  been  tried  by 
a  few  persons  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  some  of  whom  speak 
favorably  of  it.  It  has  been  suggested  that  the  melted  rub- 
ber might  be  applied  immediately  to  the  bark  without  injur- 
ing the  trees.  A  little  conical  mound  of  sand  surrounding 
the  base  of  the  tree  is  found  to  be  impassable  to  the  moths, 
so  long  as  the  sand  remains  dry ;  but  they  easily  pass  over  it 
when  the  sand  is  wet,  and  they  come  out  of  the  ground  in 
wet  as  often  as  in  dry  weather. 

Some  attempts  have  been  made  to  destroy  the  canker 


REMEDIES     AGAINST     THE     CANKER-WORM.       469 

worms  after  they  were  hatched  from  the  eggs,  and  were  dis- 
persed over  the  leaves  of  the  trees.  It  is  said  that  some 
persons  have  saved  their  trees  from  these  insects  by  freely 
dusting  air-slacked  lime  over  them  while  the  leaves  were  wet 

O 

with  dew.  Showering  the  trees  with  mixtures  that  are 
found  useful  to  destroy  other  insects  has  been  tried  by  a  few, 
and,  although  attended  with  a  good  deal  of  trouble  and  ex- 
pense, it  may  be  worth  our  while  to  apply  such  remedies 
upon  small  and  choice  trees.  Mr.  David  Haggerston,  of 
Watertown,  Mass.,  has  used,  for  this  purpose,  a  mixture  of 
water  and  oil-soap  (an  article  to  be  procured  from  the  manu- 
factories where  whale-oil  is  purified),  in  the  proportion  of 
one  pound  of  the  soap  to  seven  gallon*,  of  water;  and  he 
states  that  this  liquor,  when  thrown  on  the  trees  with  a 
garden  engine,  will  destroy  the  canker-worm  and  many  other 
insects,  without  injuring  the  foliage  or  the  fruit.  This  ap- 
plication may  be  found  useful  in  protecting  grafts ;  for  if 
canker-worms  attack  these,  they  will  very  much  injure,  if  not 
entirely  destroy  them.  Jarring  or  shaking  the  limbs  of  the 
trees  will  disturb  the  canker-worms,  and  cause  many  of 
them  to  spin  down,  when  their  threads  may  be  broken  off 
with  a  pole ;  and  if  the  troughs  around  the  trees  are  at  the 
same  time  replenished  with  oil,  or  the  tar  is  again  applied, 
the  insects  will  be  caught  in  their  attempts  to  creep  up  the 
trunks.  In  the  same  way,  also,  those  that  are  coming  down 
the  trunks  to  go  into  the  ground  will  be  caught  and  killed. 
If  greater  pains  were  to  be  taken  to  destroy  the  insects  in 
the  caterpillar  state,  their  numbers  would  soon  greatly  di- 
minish. 

Even  after  they  have  left  the  trees,  have  gone  into  the 
ground,  and  have  changed  their  forms,  they  are  not  wholly 
beyond  the  reach  of  means  for  destroying  them.  One  per- 
son told  me  that  his  swine,  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
turning  into  his  orchard  in  the  autumn,  rooted  up  and 
killed  great  numbers  of  the  chrysalids  of  the  canker-worms. 
Some  persons  have  recommended  digging  or  ploughing  un- 


470 


LEPIDOPTERA. 


der  the  trees,  in  the  autumn,  with  the  hope  of  crushing  some 
of  the  chrysalids  by  so  doing,  and  of  exposing  others  to 
perish  with  the  cold  of  the  following  winter.  If  hogs  are 
then  allowed  to  go  among  the  trees,  and  a  few  grains  of 
corn  are  scattered  on  the  loosened  soil,  these  animals  will 
eat  many  of  the  chrysalids  as  well  as  the  corn,  and  will 
crush  others  with  their  feet.  Mr.  S.  P.  Fowler*  thinks 
it  better  to  dig  around  the  trees  in  July,  while  the  shells 
of  the  insects  are  soft  and  tender.  He  and  Mr.  John  Ken- 
rick,  of  Newton,  Mass.,  advise  us  to  remove  the  soil  to  the 
distance  of  four  or  five  feet  from  the  trunk  of  the  trees, 
and  to  the  depth  of  six  inches,  to  cart  it  away  and  replace 
it  with  an  equal  quantity  of  compost  or  rich  earth.  In 
this  way,  many  of  the  insects  will  be  removed  also ;  but 
unless  the  earth,  thus  earned  away,  is  thrown  into  some 
pond-hole,  and  left  covered  with  water,  many  of  the  insects 
contained  in  it  will  undergo  their  transformations  and  corne 
out  alive  the  next  year. 

Canker-worms  are  subject  to  the  attacks  of  many  enemies. 
Great  numbers  of  them  are  devoured  by  several  kinds  of 
birds,  which  live  almost  entirely  upon  them  during  their 

season.  They  are  also  eaten 
by  a  very  large  and  splendid 
ground-beetle  (  Calosoma  scm- 
tator),  (Fig.  234,)  that  ap- 
pears about  the  time  when 
these  insects  begin  to  leave  the 
trees.  These  beetles  do  not 
fly,  but  they  run  about  in  the 
grass  after  the  canker-worms, 
and  even  mount  upon  the 
trunks  of  the  trees  to  seize 
them  as  they  come  down. 
The  potter-wasp  {Eumenes 

•  See  Yankee  Fanner  of  July  18,  1840,  and  New  England  Fanner  of  June  2, 
1841,  for  some  valuable  remarks  by  Mr.  Fowler. 


Fig.  2Si. 


ENEMIES     OF     THE     CANKEK-WORM.  471 

fraterna),  an  insect  rather  smaller  than  the  common  brown 
wasp,  fills  her  clay  cells  with  canker-worms,  often  gathering 
eighteen  or  twenty  of  them  as  food  for  her  young.*  A  four- 
winged  ichneumon-fly  also  stings  them,  and  deposits  an  egg 
in  every  canker-worm  thus  wounded.  From  the  egg  is 
hatched  a  little  maggot,  that  preys  on  the  fatty  substance 
of  the  canker-worm,  and  weakens  it  so  much  that  it  is 
unable  to  go  through  its  future  transformations.  I  have 
seen  one  of  these  flies  sting  several  canker-worms  in  suc- 
cession, and  swarms  of  them  may  be  observed  around  the 
trees  as  long  as  the  canker-worms  remain.  Their  services, 

O  ' 

therefore,  are  doubtless  very  considerable.  Among  a  large 
number  of  canker-worms,  taken  promiscuously  from  various 
trees,  I  found  that  nearly  one  third  of  the  whole  were 
unable  to  finish  their  transformations,  because  they  had  been 
attacked  by  internal  enemies  of  another  kind.  These  were 
little  maggots,  that  lived  singly  within  the  bodies  of  the 
canker-worms,  till  the  latter  died  from  weakness  ;  after  which 
the  maggots  underwent  a  change,  and  finally  came  out  of 
the  bodies  of  their  victims  in  the  form  of  small  two-winged 
cuckoo-flies,  belonging  to  the  genus  Tachina. 

Mr.  E.  C.  Herrick,  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  has  made 
the  interesting  discovery  that  the  eggs  of  the  canker-worm 
moth  are  pierced  by  a  tiny  four-winged  fly 
(Fig.  235,  greatly  magnified),  a  species  of 
Platygaster,  which  goes  from  egg  to  egg,  and 
drops  in  each  of  them  one  of  her  own  eggs. 
Sometimes  every  canker-worm  egg  in  a  clus- 
ter will  be  found  to  have  been  thus  punctured  and  seeded 
for  a  future  harvest  of  the  Platygaster.  The  young  of  this 
Platygaster  is  an  exceedingly  minute  maggot,  hatched  within 
the  canker-worm  egg,  the  shell  of  which,  though  only  one 
thirtieth  of  an  inch  long,  serves  for  its  habitation,  and  the 
contents  for  its  food,  till  it  is  fully  grown ;  after  which  it 

*  See  the  history  of  this  insect,  and  a  figure  of  her  cells,  in  the  Boston  Culti- 
vator, for  July  15,  1848. 


472  LEPIDOPTERA. 

becomes  a  chrysalis  within  the  same  shell,  and  in  due  time 
comes  out  a  Platygaster  fly,  like  its  parent.  This  last  trans- 
formation Mr.  Herrick  found  to  take  place  towards  the  end 
of  June,  from  eggs  laid  in  November  of  the  year  before  ;  and 
lie  thinks  that  the  flies  continue  alive  through  the  summer, 
till  the  appearance  of  the  canker-worm  moths  in  the  autumn 
affords  them  the  opportunity  of  laying  their  eggs  for  another 
brood.  As  these  little  parasites  prevent  the  hatching  of 
the  eggs  wherein  they  are  bred,  and  as  they  seem  to  be 
very  abundant,  they  must  be  of  great  use  in  preventing 
the  increase  of  the  canker-worm.  Without  doubt  such  wise- 
ly appointed  means  as  these  were  once  enough  to  keep 
within  due  bounds  these  noxious  insects ;  but,  since  our 
forests,  their  natural  food,  and  our  birds,  their  greatest  en- 
emies, have  disappeared  before  the  woodman's  axe  and  the 
sportsman's  gun,  we  are  left  to  our  own  ingenuity,  persever- 
ance, and  united  efforts,  to  contrive  and  carry  into  effect 
other  means  for  checking  their  ravages. 

Between  the  years  1841  and  1847,  canker-worms  almost 
entirely  disappeared  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston.  At  the  latter 
date,  there  was  a  visible  increase  of  them  here,  and  their 
numbers  have  rapidly  augmented  every  subsequent  year. 
In  a  few  years  more,  unless  checked  by  natural  or  artificial 
means,  they  will  probably  prove  as.  destructive  as  at  any 
former  time.  The  writer  of  this  work  has  given  repeated 
warning  of  these  facts  in  the  public  prints,  and  has  pointed 
out  the  remedies  to  be  applied.* 

Apple,  elm,  and  lime  trees  are  sometimes  injured  a  good 
deal  by  another  kind  of  span-worm,  larger  than  the  canker- 
worm,  and  very  different  from  it  in  appearance.  It  is  of 
a  bright  yellow  color,  with  ten  crinkled  black  lines  along 
the  top  of  the  back ;  the  head  is  rust-colored ;  and  the  belly 
is  paler  than  the  rest  of  the  body.  When  fully  grown,  it 

*  See  Prairie  Farmer,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  172,  for  June,  1848.  Massachusetts  Plough- 
man, for  June  24, 1848,  Nov.  23, 1850,  and  May  17,  1851.  Boston  Cultivator,  Nov. 
24, 1848.  New  England  Farmer,  Vol.  II.  p.  252,  for  August,  1860. 


THE    LIME-TREE    WINTER-MOTH.  473 

measures  about  one  inch  and  a  quarter  in  length.  It  often 
rests  with  the  middle  of  the  body  curved  upwards  a  little, 
and  sometimes  even  without  the  support  of  its  fore  legs. 
The  leaves  of  the  lime  seem  to  be  its  natural  and  favorite 
food,  for  it  may  be  found  on  this  tree  every  year;  but  I 
have  often  seen  it  in  considerable  abundance,  with  common 
canker-worms,  on  other  trees.  It  is  hatched  rather  later, 
and  does  not  leave  the  trees  quite  so  soon  as  the  latter. 
About  or  soon  after  the  middle  of  June  it  spins  down  from 
the  trees,  goes  into  the  ground,  and  changes  to  a  chrysalis 
in  a  little  cell  five  or  six  inches  below  the  surface ;  and 
from  this  it  comes  out  in  the  moth  state  towards  the  end 
of  October  or  during  the  month  of  November.  More  rarely 
its  last  transformation  is  retarded  till  the  spring. 

The  females  are  wingless  and  grub-like,  with  slender 
thread-shaped  antennaB.  As  soon  as  they  leave  the  ground 
they  creep  up  the  trees,  and  lay  their  eggs  in  little  clusters, 
here  and  there,  on  the  branches.  The  males  have  large 
and  delicate  wings,  and  their  antennae  have  a  narrow  feath- 
ery edging  on  each  side.  They  follow  the  females,  and 
pair  with  them  on  the  trees.  This  kind  of  moth  closely 
resembles  the  lime-looper  or  umber  moth  (Hyb&rnia  defo- 
liaria)  of  Europe ;  but  differs  from  it  so  much  in  the  larva 
state,  that  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  of  its  being  a 
distinct  species,  and  ac- 
cordingly name  it  Hyber-  MS-  236. 
ma  Tiliaria  (Fig.  236), 
the  lime-tree  winter-moth, 
from  Tilia,  the  scientific 
name  of  its  favorite  tree. 
The  fore  wings  of  the 
male  are  rusty  buff  or 
nankin-yellow,  sprinkled 
with  very  fine  brownish  dots,  and  banded  with  two  trans- 
verse wavy,  brown  lines,  the  band  nearest  the  shoulders 
being  often  indistinct ;  in  the  space  between  the  bands,  and 
GO 


474  LEPIDOPTERA. 

near  to  the  thick  edge  of  the  wing,  there  is  generally  a 
brown  dot.  The  hind  wings  are  much  paler  than  the  others, 
and  have  a  small  brownish  dot  in  the  middle.  The  color 
of  the  body  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  fore  wings ;  and  the 
legs  are  ringed  with  buff  and  brown.  The  wings  expand 
one  inch  and  three  quarters.  The  body  of  the  female  is 
grayish  or  yellowish  white;  it  is  sprinkled  on  the  sides 
with  black  dots,  and  there  are  two  square  black  spots  on 
the  top  of  each  ring,  except  the  last,  which  has  only  one 
spot.  The  front  of  the  head  is  black ;  and  the  antennae 
and  the  less  are  ringed  with  black  and  white.  The  tail  is 

O  O 

tipped  with  a  tapering,  jointed  egg-tube,  that  can  be  drawn 
in  and  out,  like  the  joints  of  a  telescope.  Exclusive  of  this 
tube,  the  female  measures  about  half  an  inch  in  length. 
The  eggs  are  beautiful  objects  when  seen  under  a  microscope. 
They  are  of  an  oval  shape,  and  pale  yellow  color,  and  are 
covered  with  little  raised  lines,  like  net-work,  or  like  the 
cells  of  a  honeycomb. 

As  these  span-worms  appear  at  the  same  time  as  canker- 
worms,  resemble  them  in  their  habits,  and  often  live  on  the 
same  trees,  they  can  be  kept  in  check  by  such  means  as  are 
found  useful  when  employed  against  canker-worms. 

Probably  more  than  one  hundred  different  kinds  of  Geom- 
eters may  be  found  in  Massachusetts  alone.  Seventy-eight 
are  already  known  to  me.  Some  of  these  are  small,  and 
are  not  otherwise  remarkable ;  some  are  distinguished  for 
their  greater  size  and  beauty  in  the  moth  state,  or  for  the 
singularity  of  the  forms  and  habits  of  their  caterpillars. 
None  of  them,  however,  have  become  so  notorious  on  ac- 
count of  their  devastations  as  the  species  already  described. 

4.    DELTA-MOTHS.     (Pyralides.) 

The  PYRALIDES  of  Linnaeus  are  nearly  akin  to  the  Ge- 
ometers. Latreille  called  them  Deltoides,  because  the  form 
of  the  moths,  when  their  wings  are  closed,  is  triangular, 


THE    DELTA-MOTHS.  475 

like  that  of  the  Greek  letter  A.  For  the  same  reason  I 
have  called  them  Delta-moths.  The  body,  in  these  moths, 
is  long  and  slender.  The  fore  wings  are  long  and  rather 
narrow,  and  cover  the  hind  wings  nearly  horizontally  when 
at  rest.  The  feelers  are  generally  very  long,  flattened  side- 
wise,  and  more  or  less  turned  up  at  the  end.  The  tongue 
in  some  is  of  moderate  length,  in  others  it  is  very  small 
or  invisible.  The  antenna  are  long  and  generally  simple 
or  bristle-formed  in  both  sexes ;  in  some  males,  however, 
they  are  feathered,  and  in  a  few  others  they  have  a  singular 
knot  or  crook  in  the  middle.  The  legs  are  long  and  slen- 
der; and  the  first  pair  is  often  fringed  with  tufts  of  long 
hairs.  Most  of  these  moths  fly  at  night ;  a  few  are  on  the 
wing  in  the  daytime  also.  They  generally  prefer  moist  and 
shady  places,  where  the  long  grass  and  thick  foliage  shelter 
them  from  the  light  and  heat  of  the  sun.  Some  of  them 
frequent  houses. 

The  meal-moth  (PyroHis  farinalis),  (Plate  VII.  Fig.  8,) 
the  caterpillar  of  which  may  be  found  in  old  flour-barrels, 
is  often  seen  on  the  ceilings  of  rooms,  sitting  with  its  tail 
curved  over  its  back.  The  fore  wings  of  this  pretty  moth 
are  light  brown,  crossed  by  two  curved  white  lines,  and 
with  a  dark  chocolate-brown  spot  on  the  base  and  tip  of 
each.  The  tabby,  or  grease-moth  (Aglossa  pinguinalis), 
the  larva  of  which  lives  in  greasy  animal  substances,  is  also 
to  be  found  in  houses,  and  is  known  by  its  narrow  glossy 
wings,  of  a  smoky  gray  color,  crossed  by  wavy  lighter- 
colored  bands ;  its  tongue  is  not  visible.  The  motions  of 
some  of  the  day-flying  kinds  (iSimaethis)  are  very  curious. 
When  they  alight  upon  a  leaf,  they  whirl  round  sidewise, 
in  a  circular  direction,  with  the  head  in  the  centre  of  the 
circle,  and  then  return  in  the  contrary  direction,  and  repeat 
these  gyrations  several  times  in  succession. 

The  larvae  or  caterpillars  of  the  Delta-moths  are  long 
and  slender,  tapering  at  each  end,  and  naked,  or  with  only 
a  few  short  hairs,  which  are  rarely  visible  to  the  naked  eye. 


476  LEPIDOPTEEA. 

Some  of  them  have  sixteen  legs,  others  have  only  fourteen. 
The  latter  creep  very  much  like  the  span-worms,  but  are 
more  active  and  quick  in  their  motions.  Most  of  them 
live  exposed  upon  or  under  the  leaves  of  plants,  and,  when 
they  come  to  their  full  growth,  they  enclose  themselves 
in  cocoons  formed  of  folded  leaves  thinly  lined  with  silk, 
in  which  they  undergo  their  transformations.  Some  kinds 
(Hydrocampa  and  Petrophila)  live  in  the  water  upon  aquatic 
plants,  and  secure  themselves  in  cylindrical  leafy  cases,  fitted 
to  cover  the  whole  of  the  body  except  the  head  and  six  fore 
legs,  and  made  air-tight.  These  cases  prevent  the  water 
from  getting  into  the  lateral  breathing-holes  of  the  cater- 
pillars, and  contain  a  sufficient  quantity  of  air  for  them  to 
breathe ;  and,  with  them,  they  can  easily  move  about  under 
the  surface,  upon  the  plants  which  serve  them  for  food. 
Some  of  the  aquatic  kinds  do  not  make  these  air-tight  cases, 
for  they  do  not  need  them,  as  they  breathe  through  fringed 
gills,  placed  along  the  sides  of  their  bodies.  Thus  we  see 
that  even  aquatic  plants  are  inhabited  by  peculiar  tribes  of 
insects,  which  keep  in  check  their  redundant  vegetation,  and 
which  are  fitted,  by  extraordinary  and  curious  contrivances, 
for  the  element  wherein  they  are  appointed  to  live.  These 
aquatic  insects  stand  on  the  limits  of  the  order,  and  con- 
nect the  Lepidoptera  with  the  Neuroptera^  by  means  of  the 
May-flies  (PJiryganeadce)  belonging  to  the  latter  order. 

Those  caterpillars  of  the  Pyralides  that  have  only  fourteen 
legs  may  be  called  Herminians  (HERMINIAD^E),  after  the 
principal  genus  in  the  group.  The  hop-vine  is  often  infested 
by  great  numbers  of  these  caterpillars.  They  eat  large  holes 
in  the  leaves,  and  thereby  sometimes  greatly  injure  the  plant. 
Caterpillars  of  this  kind  have  also  been  observed  on  the 
hop  in  Europe,  from  whence  ours  may  have  been  intro- 
duced; but  until  specimens  from  Europe  and  this  country 
are  compared  together,  in  all  their  states,  it  will  be  well 
to  consider  the  latter  as  distinct.  Our  hop-vine  caterpillars 
are  false-loopers,  bending  up  the  back  a  little  when  they 


THE    HOP-VINE    HYPENA.    '  477 

creep,  because  the  first  pair  of  prop-legs,  found  in  other 
caterpillars,  is  wanting  in  them.  The  rings  of  their  bodies 
are  rather  prominent,  the  cross-lines  between  them  being 
deep.  They  are  of  a  green  color,  with  two  longitudinal 
white  lines  along  the  back,  a  dark  green  line  in  the  middle 
between  them,  and  an  indistinct  whitish  line  on  each  side 
of  the  body.  The  head  is  green,  and  very  regularly  spotted 
with  minute  black  dots,  from  each  of  which  arises  a  very 
short  hair.  There  are  similar  dots  and  hairs  arranged  in 
two  transverse  rows  on  each  of  the  rings.  When  disturbed, 
they  bend  their  bodies  suddenly  and  with  a  jerk,  first  on 
one  side  and  then  on  the  other,  each  time  leaping  to  a 
considerable  distance,  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  catch  or  hold 
them.  They  make  no  webs  on  the  leaves,  and  do  not  sus- 
pend themselves  by  silken  threads  like  the  Geometers ;  but 
they  are  very  active,  creep  fast,  and  soon  get  upon  the  leaves 
again  after  leaping  off.  When  fully  grown  they  are  about 
eight  tenths  of  an  inch  long.  They  then  form  a  thin,  imper- 
fect, silky  cocoon  within  a  folded  leaf,  or  in  some  crevice  or 
sheltered  spot,  and  are  changed  to  brownish  chrysalids,  which 
present  nothing  remarkable  in  their  appearance.  Three  weeks 
afterwards  the  moths  come  forth  from  these  cocoons. 

There  are  two  broods  of  these  insects  in  the  course   of 
the  summer.     The  caterpillars  of  the  first  brood  appear  in 
May  and  June,  and  are  transformed  to  moths  towards  the 
end  of  June,  and  during  the  early  part  of  July.     Those 
of  the  second  brood  appear  in  July  and  August,  and  are 
changed  to  moths  in  September.     The  insects  of  the  second 
brood  are  much  the  most  numerous  usually,  and  do  much 
more  damage  to  the  hop-vine  than  the 
others.       The   moth   has   been   named 
Hypena  Humuli  (Fig.  237),  the  hop- 
vine  Hypena,  upon  the  supposition  that 
it  is  distinct  from  the  Hypena  rostralis, 
or    hop-vine    snout-moth    of    Europe. 
These   moths    are    readily   known    by 


478  LEPIDOPTERA. 

their  long,  wide,  and  flattened  feelers,  which  are  held  close 
together,  and  project  horizontally  from  the  fore  part  of  the 
head,  in  the  manner  of  a  snout.  The  antennae  in  both 
sexes  are  naked,  and  bristle-formed.  The  wings  vary  in 
color,  being  sometimes  dusky  or  blackish  brown,  and  some- 
times of  a  much  lighter  rusty-brown  color.  The  fore  wings 
are  marbled  with  gray  beyond  the  middle,  and  have  a  dis- 
tinct oblique  gray  spot  on  the  tip ;  they  are  crossed  by  two 
wavy  blackish  lines,  one  near  the  middle,  and  the  other 
near  the  outer  hind  margin ;  these  lines  are  formed  by  little 
elevated  black  tufts,  and  there  are  also  two  similar  tufts 
on  the  middle  of  the  wing.  The  hind  wings  are  dusky 
brown  or  light  brown,  with  a  paler  fringe,  and  are  without 
bands  or  spots.  The  wings  expand  about  one  inch  and  a 
quarter. 

The  means  for  destroying  the  hop-vine  caterpillars  are 
showering  or  syringing  the  plants  with  strong  soapsuds,  or 
with  a  solution  of  oil-soap  in  water,  in  the  proportion  of  two 
pounds  of  the  soap  to  fourteen  or  fifteen  gallons  of  water. 

The  foregoing  is  the  only  kind  of  Delta-moth  that  appears 
to  be  particularly  injurious  to  any  of  our  useful  or  cultivated 
plants. 

5.    LEAF-ROLLERS.     (Tortrices.) 

There  are  many  caterpillars  that  curl  up  the  edges  of  the 
leaves  of  plants  into  little  cylindrical  rolls,  open  at  each 
end,  and  fastened  together  with  bands  or  threads  of  silk. 
These  rolls  serve  at  once  for  the  habitations  and  the  food 
of  the  insects ;  and  to  the  latter  Linnaeus  gave  the  name 
of  TORTRICES,  derived  from  a  Latin  word  signifying  to  curl 
or  twist.  All  the  caterpillars  now  put  in  this  tribe  are  not 
leaf-rollers.  Some  of  them  live  in  leaf  and  flower  buds, 
and  fasten  the  leaves  together  so  that  the  bud  cannot  open, 
while  they  devour  the  tender  substance  within.  Some  live 
in  a  kind  of  tent  formed  of  several  leaves,  drawn  together 
and  secured  with  silken  threads.  Others  are  found  in  the 


LEAF-ROLLERS.  479 

tender  slioots  or  under  the  bark  of  plants.  A  few  bore  into 
young  fruits,  which  they  cause  to  ripen  and  fall  prematurely. 
A  still  smaller  number  of  kinds  live  on  the  leaves  of  plants, 
exposed  to  view,  and  without  any  kind  of  covering  over 
them.  Most  of  these  insects,  when  disturbed,  let  themselves 
down  by  threads,  like  the  Geometers.  Very  few  of  them 
make  cocoons ;  the  greater  number  transforming  within  the 
rolled  leaves,  or  in  the  other  situations  wherein  they  usually 
dwell.  They  are  furnished  with  sixteen  legs,  and  their 
bodies  are  nearly  or  quite  naked.  Many  of  their  chrysalids 
have  two  rows  of  minute  prickles  across  each  of  the  rings 
of  the  hind  body,  by  the  help  of  which  they  push  themselves 
half-way  out  of  their  habitations,  when  the  included  moths 
are  about  to  come  forth. 

The  moths  of  this  tribe  are  mostly  of  small  size,  very  few 
of  them  expanding  more  than  one  inch.  They  carry  their 
wings  like  a  steep  roof  over  their  bodies  when  they  are 
at  rest.  Their  fore  wings  are  very  much  curved,  and  are 
very  broad  at  the  shoulders,  and  hence  these  insects  are 
called  Platyomides,  that  is,  broad  shoulders,  by  the  French 
naturalists.  These  wings  are  generally  very  prettily  banded 
and  spotted,  and  are  sometimes  ornamented  with  brilliant 
metallic  spots.  The  hind  wings  are  plain,  and  of  a  uniform 
dusky  or  grayish  color,  and  the  inner  edge  is  folded  like 
a  fan  against  the  side  of  the  body.  Their  antennas  are 
naked  or  thread-like.  Their  feelers,  two  in  number,  are 
broad,  of  moderate  length,  or  project  like  a  short  beak  in 
front  of  the  head,  and  are  never  curved  upwards.  The 
spiral  tongue  is  mostly  short,  and  sometimes  invisible.  The 
body  is  rather  short  and  thick,  and  the  legs  are  also  much 
shorter  in  proportion  than  in  the  Delta-moths.  These  little 
moths  fly  only  in  the  evening  and  night,  and  remain  at  rest 
during  the  day  upon  or  near  the  plants  inhabited  by  their 
caterpillars.  They  are  most  abundant  in  midsummer,  but 
certain  species  appear  in  the  spring  or  autumn.  The  habits 
of  the  Tortrices,  in  all  their  states,  are  not  yet  known  well 


480  LEPIDOPTERA. 

enough  to  enable  us  to   group   the  insects  together  under 
family  names. 

The  caterpillars  of  some  of  our  largest  species  are  found 
on  the  ends  of  the  branches  of  various  trees  and  bushes,  in 
nests,  made  of  the  young  leaves  drawn  together  in  bunches, 
and  fastened  with  threads.  In  the  middle  of  these  nests 
the  caterpillars  live,  either  singly,  or  in  companies  of  several 
individuals  together.  Nests  of  this  kind,  containing  a  large 
number  of  caterpillars,  may  often  be  seen  on  oak-trees  in 
the  summer.  The  chrysalids  force  their  way  partly  out  of 
the  nests  by  the  help  of  the  transverse  rows  of  prickles  on 
their  backs,  when  the  moths  are  about  to  make  their  escape. 
The  moths  resemble  in  form  and  general  appearance  those 
of  another  species,  the  caterpillars  of  which  live  singly  in 
much  smaller  nests,  on  apple-trees  and  rose-bushes.  Early 
in  May,  or  soon  after  the  buds  of  the  apple-tree  begin  to 
open,  these  little  caterpillars  begin  their  labors.  They  curl 
up  and  fasten  together  the  small  and  tender  leaves  that 
supply  them  both  with  shelter  and  food  ;  and  in  this  way, 
they  often  do  considerable  damage  to  the  trees.  These 
caterpillars  are  sometimes  of  a  pale  green  color,  with  the 
head  and  the  top  of  the  first  ring  brownish ;  and  sometimes 
the  whole  body  is  brownish  or  dull  flesh-red ;  they  are  rough 
to  the  touch,  with  minute  warts,  each  of  which  produces 
a  very  short  hair,  invisible  to  the  naked  eye.  They  come 
to  their  full  size  towards  the  middle  of  June,  and  then 
measure  nearly  or  quite  half  an  inch  in  length.  After 
this,  they  line  the  inner  surface  of  the  curled  leaves  com- 
posing their  nests  with  a  web  of  silk,  and  are  then  changed 
to  chrysalids  of  a  dark  brown  color.  Towards  the  end  of 
June,  or  early  in  July,  the  chrysalis  pushes  itself  half-way 
out  of  its  nest,  and  bursts  open  at  the  upper  end,  so  that 
the  moth  may  come  out.  The  moth  closely  resembles  the 
Lozotcenia*  oporana  of  Europe,  but  differs  from  it  in  having 

*  This  word  was  probably  an  error  of  the  press  in  the  "Catalogue"  of  Mr. 
Stephens,  by  whom  the  genus  was  proposed.    It  has,  however,  been  copied  in 


BUD-MOTHS.  481 

the  fore  wings  broader  at  the   base,  more  curved   on   the 
front  edge,  and  more  hooked  at  the  tip,  and  its  markings 
are  also  somewhat  different.     It  may 
be  called  Loxotcenia  Rosaceana  (Fig.  H«-  238- 

238),  the  oblique-banded  moth  of  the 
Rose  tribe,  for  to  the  latter  the  apple- 
tree  belongs  as  well  as  the  rose.  The 
fore  wings  of  this  moth  are  very  much 
arched  on  their  outer  edge,  and  curve 
in  the  contrary  direction  at  the  tip,  like  a  little  hook  or 
short  tail.  They  are  of  a  light  cinnamon-brown  color, 
crossed -with  little  wavy  darker-brown  lines,  and  with  three 
broad  oblique  dark  brown  bands,  whereof  one  covers  the 
base  of  the  wing,  and  is  oftentimes  indistinct  or  wanting, 
the  second  crosses  the  middle  of  the  wing,  and  the  third, 
which  is  broad  on  the  front  edge  and  narrow  behind,  is 
near  the  outer  hind  margin  of  the  wing.  The  hind  wings 
are  ochre-yellow,  with  the  folded  part  next  to  the  body 
blackish.  It  expands  one  inch  or  a  little  more. 

Little  caterpillars  of  another  species  are  sometimes  found 
in  May  and  June  in  the  opening  buds  and  among  the  ten- 
der leaves  of  the  apple-tree.  They  live  singly  in  the  buds, 
the  leaves  of  which  they  fasten  together  and  then  devour. 
These  caterpillars  are  of  a  pale  and  dull  brownish  color, 
warty  and  slightly  downy  like  the  foregoing  kind,  with  the 
head  and  the  top  of  the  first  ring  dark  shining  brown ; 
and  a  dark  brown  spot  appears  through  the  skin  on  the 
top  of  the  eighth  ring.  They  generally  come  to  their 
growth  by  the  middle  of  June,  and  are  changed  to  shining 
brown  chrysalids  within  the  curled  leaves,  in  a  little  web 
of  silk,  wherewith  their  retreats  are  lined.  The  chrysalis 
has  only  one  row  of  prickles  across  the  rings  of  the  back. 
The  moths  come  out  early  in  July.  They  very  closely 

several  other  works  by  other  authors,  without  correction  or  comment.    Loxokenia, 
meaning  oblique  band,  seems  to  be  the  right  name  for  the  moths  of  this  genus, 
which  are  distinguished  by  the  oblique  bands  on  their  fore  wings. 
61 


482  LEPIDOPTERA. 

resemble  the  European  Penthina  comitana,*  and  perhaps 
may  be  merely  a  variety  of  it.  The  head  and  thorax  are 
dark  ash-colored.  The  fore  wings  are  of  the  same  color 
at  each  end,  and  grayish  white  in  the  middle,  mottled  with 
dark  gray;  there  are  two  small  eye-like  spots  on  each  of 
them ;  one  near  the  tip,  consisting  of  four  little  black  marks, 
placed  close  together  in  a  row,  on  a  light  brown  ground, 
the  inner  marks  being  longer  than  the  others ;  the  second 
eye-spot  is  near  the  inner  hind  angle,  and  is  formed  by 
three  minute  black  spots,  arranged  in  a  triangle,  in  the 
middle  of  which  there  is  sometimes  a  black  dot.  The  hind 
wings  are  dusky  brown.  This  moth  expands  from  one  half 
to  six  tenths  of  an  inch.  It  may  be  called  Penthina  oculana, 
the  eye-spotted  Penthina.  My  attention  was  called  to  the 
depredations  of  this  bud-moth,  and  of  the  preceding  species, 
by  John  Owen,  Esq.,  of  Cambridge,  by  whom  the  moths 
were  raised  from  the  caterpillars,  and  presented  to  me.  It 
is  difficult  at  first  to  conceive  how  such  insignificant  crea- 
tures can  occasion  so  much  mischief  as  they  are  found  to  do. 
This  seems  to  arise  from  the  number  of  the  insects,  and 
their  mode  of  attack,  whereby  the  opening  foliage  is  checked 
in  its  growth  or  nipped  in  the  bud.  To  pull  off  and  crush 
the  withered  clusters  of  leaves  containing  the  caterpillars  or 
the  chrysalids,  is  the  only  remedy  that  occurs  to  me.  It 
were  to  be  wished  that  some  better  way  of  putting  a  stop 
to  the  ravages  of  the  leaf-rollers  and  bud-moths  that  infest 
many  of  our  fruit-trees  and  flowering  shrubs  could  be  dis- 
covered. 

Apricot,  peach,  and  plum  trees,  when  trained  against 
walls  in  the  open  air,  are  said  to  suffer  very  much  some- 
times from  the  attacks  of  insects  whose  habits  resemble 
those  of  the  eye-spotted  Penthina.  But,  as  I  have  not  yet 
seen  them  in  the  moth  state,  I  cannot  say  whether  they 
are  of  the  same  species  as  the  bud-moth  above  named. 

*  fyilimota  comitana,  Stephens;  Poecilochroma  comitana,  Curtis;  Penthina  luscana, 
Duponchel. 


BUD-MOTHS.  483 

Perhaps  they  are  identical  with  the  apricot-bud  caterpillars 
(JDitula  angustiorana)  of  Europe,  the  depredations  of  which 
have  been  described  by  Mr.  Westwood  in  the  fourteenth 
volume  of  the  "  Gardener's  Magazine."  Besides  picking 
off  the  curled  and  confined  clusters  of  leaves,  when  practi- 
cable, I  would  recommend  thoroughly  drenching  the  trees 
with  Mr.  Haggerston's  remedy,  a  pound  of  oil-soap  in  from 
seven  to  ten  gallons  of  water,  in  the  hope  that  some  of  the 
mixture  might  penetrate  the  injured  buds  and  leaves,  and 
destroy  the  caterpillars  concealed  therein.  A  mixture  of 
one  gallon  of  the  liquor  expressed  by  tobacconists  from 
tobacco,  with  five  gallons  of  water,  has  been  used  to  the 
same  intent. 

Roses  are  infested  with  several  kinds  of  caterpillars 
belonging  to  this  tribe.  Mr.  Westwood  has  described  one 
of  them,  and  mentions  others  that  are  found  in  Europe, 
in  the  thirteenth  volume  of  the  "  Gardener's  Magazine." 
Similar  species  are  not  uncommon  in  this  country.  Some 
of  these  spoilers  fasten  upon  the  leaves,  and  roll  them  up, 
or  stick  them  together,  to  serve  them  for  food  and  shelter ; 
while  others  lurk  unseen  in  the  flower-buds,  and  canker 
them  to  the  heart,  before  they  can  spread  their  lovely 
petals  to  the  sun,  and  breathe  out  their  fragrance  to  the 
air.  A  particular  description  of  each  of  these  insects  would 
occupy  too  much  space  here ;  and  I  can  only  add,  that  the 
worm  in  the  bud  is  to  be  destroyed  only  by  hand. 

Pine  and  fir  trees  are  also  injured  by  some  of  the  Tor- 
trices^  that  pierce  the  tender  shoots  and  terminal  buds. 
The  seat  of  their  depredations  becomes  known  by  the 
oozing  of  the  resin  and  by  the  withering  of  the  bud  or 
shoot.  The  latter  commonly  dies  in  consequence  of  the 
injury,  the  upward  growth  is  checked,  and  the  stem  only 
puts  forth  side  shoots  the  following  year.  Some  one  of 
these  side  shoots,  in  time,  takes  the  place  of  the  leading 
shoot,  and  thus  gives  to  the  trunk  an  irregular  and  crooked 
appearance,  and  renders  it  unfit  for  timber.  The  history 


484  LEPIDOPTERA. 

of  several  European  Tortrices  or  turpentine-moths,  that 
thus  injure  pines  and  firs,  is  given  in  Kollar's  Treatise, 
wherein  we  are  advised  to  search  for  the  lumps  of  turpen- 
tine in  the  autumn,  and  destroy  the  caterpillars  under 
them,  or  to  cut  off  the  injured  shoots  and  burn  them 
with  their  inhabitants.  This  advice  it  may  be  proper  for 
us  to  follow,  although  it  is  not  yet  certain  that  our  turpen- 
tine-moths are  actually  the  same  as  those  of  Europe. 

Among  the  insects  that  have  been  brought  to  America 
with  other  productions  of  Europe  may  be  mentioned  the 
apple-worm,  as  it  is  here  called,  which  has  become  natu- 
ralized wherever  the  apple-tree  has  been  introduced.  This 
mischievous  creature  has  sometimes  been  mistaken  for  the 
plum- weevil  {Rhynchcenus  (Conotrachelus)  Nenuphar),  de- 
scribed in  another  part*  of  this  treatise;  but  it  may  be 
easily  distinguished  therefrom  by  its  shape,  its  habits,  and 
its  transformations.  Although  the  plum- weevil  prefers  stone 
fruit,  it  is  sometimes  found  in  apples  also ;  on  the  other 
hand,  the  apple-worm  has  never  been  found  here  in  plums. 
It  is  not  a  grub,  but  a  true  caterpillar,  belonging  to  the 
239  Tortrix  tribe,  and  in  due  time  is  changed  to 

a  moth,  called  Oarpocapsa  Pomonella  (Fig. 
239),f  the  codling-moth,  or  fruit-moth  of 
the  apple.  An  anonymous  writer,  in  the 
"  Entomological  Magazine  "  $  of  London,  has 
well  remarked  that  this  moth  "  is  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
beautiful  tribe  to  which  it  belongs ;  yet,  from  its  habits  not 
being  known,  it  is  seldom  seen  in  the  moth  state ;  and  the 
apple-grower  knows  no  more  than  the  man  in  the  moon  to 
what  cause  he  is  indebted  for  his  basketfuls  of  worm-eaten 
windfalls  in  the  stillest  weather." 

*  Page  76. 

t  Tinea  Pomonella,  L. ;  Pyralis  Pomana,  F.  If  the  modern  name  of  the  genus 
b«  correct,  it  was  probably  formed  from  two  Greek  words  signifying  to  devour 
fruit.  ^  Perhaps  the  name  should  have  been  Carpocampa,  that  is,  in  English,  fruit- 
caterpillar. 

J  VoL  I.  p.  144. 


THE    APPLE-WORM    MOTH.  485 

The  apple-worm  has  been  long  known  in  Europe,  and 
its  history  has  been  written  by  Rosel,  Re'aumur,  Kollar, 
Westwood,*  and  other  European  naturalists.  A  good 
account  of  it,  and  of  its  transformations,  by  Joseph  Tufts, 
Esq.,  of  Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  was  published  in  the 
year  1819,  in  the  fifth  volume  of  "  The  Massachusetts  Agri- 
cultural Repository  and  Journal " ;  and  Mr.  Joseph  Bur- 
relle,  of  Quincy,  Massachusetts,  has  also  made  some  remarks 
on  the  same  insect,  in  the  eighteenth  volume  of  "  The  New 
England  Farmer."!  At  various  times,  between  the  mid- 
dle of  June  and  the  first  of  July,  the  apple-worm  moths 
may  be  found.  They  are  sometimes  seen  in  houses  in  the 
evening,  trying  to  get  through  the  windows  into  the  open 
air,  having  been  brought  in  with  fruit  while  they  were  in 
the  caterpillar  state.  Their  fore  wings,  when  seen  at  a  dis- 
tance, have  somewhat  the  appearance  of  brown  watered 
silk ;  when  closely  examined,  they  will  be  found  to  be 
crossed  by  numerous  gray  and  brown  lines,  scalloped  like 
the  plumage  of  a  bird ;  and  near  the  hind  angle  there  is  a 
large,  oval,  dark  brown  spot,  the  edges  of  which  are  of  a 
bright  copper-color.  The  head  and  thorax  are  brown  min- 
gled with  gray ;  and  the  hind  wings  and  abdomen  are 
light  yellowish  brown,  with  the  lustre  of  satin.  Its  wings 
expand  three  quarters  of  an  inch.  This  insect  is  readily 
distinguished  from  other  moths  by  the  large,  oval  brown 
spot,  edged  with  copper-color,  on  the  hinder  margin  of 
each  of  the  fore  wings.  During  the  latter  part  of  June 
and  the  month  of  July,  these  fruit-moths  fly  about  apple- 
trees  every  evening,  and  lay  their  eggs  on  the  young  fruit. 
They  do  not  puncture  the  apples,  but  they  drop  their  eggs, 
one  by  one,  in  the  eye  or  hollow  at  the  blossom-end  of  the 
fruit,  where  the  skin  is  most  tender.  They  seem  also  to 
seek  for  early  fruit  rather  than  for  the  late  kinds,  which  we 

*  Gardener's  Magazine,  VoL  XIV.  p.  234. 

t  Page  398.     See  also  some  remarks  on  this  insect  in  my  "  Discourse  before  the 
Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  in  1832,"  page  42. 


486  LEPIDOPTEBA. 

find  are  not  so  apt  to  be  wormy  as  the  thin-skinned  summer 
apples.  The  eggs  begin  to  hatch  in  a  few  days  after  they 
are  laid,  and  the  little  apple-worms  or  caterpillars  produced 
from  them  immediately  burrow  into  the  apples,  making  their 
way  gradually  from  the  eye  towards  the  core.  Commonly 
only  one  worm  will  be  found  in  the  same  apple ;  and  it 
is  so  small  at  first,  that  its  presence  can  only  be  detected 
by  the  brownish  powder  it  throws  out  in  eating  its  way 
through  the  eye.  The  body  of  the  young  insect  is  of  a 
whitish  color ;  its  head  is  heart-shaped  and  black ;  the  top 
of  the  first  ring  or  collar  and  of  the  last  ring  is  also  black ; 
and  there  are  eight  little  blackish  dots  or  warts,  arranged 
in  pairs,  on  each  of  the  other  rings.  As  it  grows  older, 
its  body  becomes  flesh-colored ;  its  head,  the  collar,  and 
the  top  of  the  last  ring  turn  brown,  and  the  dots  are  no 
longer  to  be  seen.  In  the  course  of  three  weeks,  or  a  little 
more,  it  comes  to  its  full  size,  and  meanwhile  has  burrowed 
to  the  core  and  through  the  apple  in  various  directions. 
To  get  rid  of  the  refuse  fragments  of  its  food,  it  gnaws  a 
round  hole  through  the  side  of  the  apple,  and  thrusts  them 
out  of  the  opening.  Through  this  hole  also  the  insect  makes 
its  escape  after  the  apple  falls  to  the  ground ;  and  the  falling 
of  the  fruit  is  well  known  to  be  hastened  by  the  injury  it 
has  received  within,  which  generally  causes  it  to  ripen  before 
its  time. 

Soon  after  the  half-grown  apples  drop,  and  sometimes 
while  they  are  still  hanging,  the  worms  leave  them  and 
creep  into  chinks  in  the  bark  of  the  trees,  or  into  other 
sheltered  places,  which  they  hollow  out  with  their  teeth  to 
suit  their  shape.  Here  each  one  spins  for  itself  a  cocoon 
or  silken  case,  as  thin,  delicate,  and  white  as  tissue  paper. 
Some  of  the  apple-worms,  probably  the  earliest,  are  said 
by  Kollar  to  change  to  chrysalids  immediately  after  their 
cocoons  are  made,  and  in  a  few  days  more  turn  to  moths, 
come  out,  and  lay  their  eggs  for  a  second  generation  of  the 
worms ;  and  hence  much  fruit  will  be  found  to  be  worm- 


TINE.E.  487 

eaten  in  the  autumn.  Most  of  the  insects,  however,  remain 
in  their  cocoons  through  the  winter,  and  are  not  changed 
to  moths  till  the  following  summer.  The  chrysalis  is  of  a 
bright  mahogany-brown  color,  and  has,  as  usual,  across  each 
of  the  rings  of  its  hind  body,  two  rows  of  prickles,  by  the 
help  of  which  it  forces  its  way  through  the  cocoon  before 
the  moth  comes  forth. 

As  the  apple-worms  instinctively  leave  the  fruit  soon  after 
it  falls  from  the  trees,  it  will  be  proper  to  gather  up  all 
wind-fallen  apples  daily,  and  make  such  immediate  use  of 
them  as  will  be  sure  to  kill  the  insects,  before  they  have 
time  to  escape.  Mr.  Burrelle  says,  that  if  any  old  cloth 
is  wound  around  or  hung  in  the  crotches  of  the  trees,  the 
apple- worms  will  conceal  themselves  therein ;  and  by  this 
means  thousands  of  them  may  be  obtained  and  destroyed, 
from  the  time  when  they  'first  begin  to  leave  the  apples, 
until  the  fruit  is  gathered.  By  carefully  scraping  off  the 
loose  and  rugged  bark  of  the  trees,  in  the  spring,  many 
chrysalids  will  be  destroyed;  and  it  has  been  said  that  the 
moths,  when  they  are  about  laying  their  eggs,  may  be 
smothered  or  driven  away,  by  the  smoke  of  weeds  burned 
under  the  trees.  The  worms,  often  found  in  summer  pears, 
appear  to  be  the  same  as  those  that  affect  apples,  and  are 
to  be  kept  in  check  by  the  same  means.  Cranberries  are 
likewise  affected  by  worms,  altogether  similar  to  apple-worms. 

6.    TINEJE. 

The  word  moth  was  formerly  used  in  a  much  more  re- 
stricted sense  than  it  now  is.  It  was  originally  given  to 
the  caterpillars  of  certain  insects,  called  TINE.E  by  LinnaBus, 
and  well  known  as  the  destroyers  of  clothing  and  of  other 
household  stuffs.  In  this  sense  we  find  it  used  in  our 
version  of  the  Scriptures,  and  in  the  works  of  old  English 
writers.  It  occurs,  with  very  little  change,  in  other  lan- 
guages also,  and  seems  to  have  been  derived  from  a  word 


488  LEPIDOPTERA. 

signifying  to  gnaw  or  to  eat.*  Nearly  all  the  moth-worms, 
or  caterpillars  belonging  to  the  tribe  of  Tineas,  gnaw  holes  or 
winding  paths  in  the  substances  wherein  they  live.  Some 
of  the  fragments  they  devour,  and  the  rest  they  fasten  to- 
gether, with  a  few  silken  threads,  so  as  to  shelter  or  clothe 
their  tender  bodies.  With  these  materials  some  of  them 
make  cylindrical  burrows,  through  which  they  can  move 
freely,  and  carry  on  the  destruction  unseen ;  and  others, 
with  the  same,  shape  for  themselves  various  kinds  of  pods 
or  cases,  large  enough  to  cover  their  bodies  entirely  when 
they  are  at  rest,  and  so  light  that  they  can  bear  them  about 
on  their  backs,  as  snails  do  then*  shells.  Some  moth-worms 
are  dark-colored;  but  most  of  them  are  of  a  dirty  white 
color,  with  a  brownish  head,  and  a  brown  spot  on  the  top 
of  the  first  ring.  They  are  either  wholly  naked,  or  have 
only  a  few  short  hairs  thinly  scattered  over  the  surface  of 
their  bodies.  They  generally  have  sixteen  legs.  Some, 
however,  want  the  first  pair  of  prop-legs,  having  only  four- 
teen in  all.  They  undergo  their  transformations  in  the 
burrows  or  cases  that  have  served  them  for  habitations, 
either  with  or  without  the  additional  covering  of  a  cocoon 
spun  within  their  places  of  abode.  The  chrysalids  are  of 
a  brown  color,  and  are  rather  more  slender  than  those  of 
other  moths.  In  the  winged  state  they  vary  greatly  both 
in  form  and  color.  They  all  agree,  however,  in  having  the 
wings  long  and  narrow,  and  folded  or  wrapped  around  the 
body,  more  or  less  closely,  when  they  are  at  rest.  Their 
antenna  are  bristle-shaped,  and  very  rarely  feathered  in 
either  sex.  Some  of  them  have  four  feelers,  others  only 
two ;  and  the  spiral  tongue  is  short.  Most  of  these  winged 
moths  are  very  small ;  indeed,  the  least  of  the  Lepidoptera 
belong  to  this  tribe.  They  have  been  divided  by  some  nat- 
uralists into  two,  and  by  others  into  three  groups,  namely, 
Crambidce,  Yponomeutadw,  and  Tineadce,  the  differences  be- 

*  From  the  Gothic  maten,  to  gnaw,  and  from  mat/an,  to  eat,  we  have  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  word  mott,  as  now  ua«d,  and  matha,  a  maggot 


THE    BEE-MOTH.  489 

tween  which  it  is  not  necessary  particularly  to  notice  in  this 
place. 

Some  moth-worms  burrow  into  leaves,  and  make  winding 
passages  in  the  pulpy  substance  thereof,  under  the  skin ; 
some  bore  into  the  stems  of  plants ;  and  a  few  are  found 
only  on  the  surface  of  leaves,  or  on  roots.  Living  plants, 
however,  form  but  a  small  part  of  the  food  of  the  Tineae, 
most  of  which  subsist  on  other  substances;  and,  for  this 
reason,  they  would  have  been  passed  by  without  further 
notice,  were  it  not  for  the  depredations  of  certain  species 
on  some  of  our  most  valuable  possessions.  Most  of  these 
pests  are  foreign  insects,  and  have  been  introduced  into  this 
country  from  abroad ;  it  will  not,  therefore,  be  in  my  power 
to  offer  anything  absolutely  new  about  them.  Nevertheless, 
a  few  remarks  on  some  of  the  most  remarkable  or  destruc- 
tive of  these  moths  may  not  be  wholly  useless  or  unaccept- 
able to  those  persons  for  whom  this  treatise  was  particularly 
designed. 

The  largest  insects  of  this  tribe  belong  to  the  group  called 
CRAMBULE,  or  Crambians,  among  which  the  bee-moth  or 
wax-moth  is  to  be  placed.  This  pernicious  insect  was  well 
known  to  the  ancients,  and  we  find  it  mentioned,  under 
the  name  of  Tinea,  in  the  works  of  Virgil  and  Columella,* 
old  Roman  writers  on  husbandry.  In  the  winged  state, 
the  male  and  female  differ  so  much  in  size,  color,  and  in 
the  form  of  their  fore  wings,  that  they  were  supposed,  by 
Linnaeus  and  by  some  other  naturalists,  to  be  different  spe- 
cies, and  accordingly  received  two 
different  names. f  To  avoid  confu- 
sion, it  will  be  best  to  adopt  the 
scientific  name  given  to  the  bee-moth 
by  Fabricius,  who  called  it  Galleria 
cereana  (Fig.  240),  that  is,  the  wax 
Galleria,  because,  in  its  caterpillar 

*  Virgil,  Georgic  IV..  line  246.     Columella,  Husbandry,  Book  IX.  chap.  14. 
t   Tortrix  cereana,  the  male ;  Tinea  mellonella,  the  female. 
62 


490  LEPIDOPTEKA. 

state,  it  eats  beeswax.  Doubtless  it  was  first  brought  to 
this  country,  with  the  common  hive-bee,  from  Europe,  where 
it  is  very  abundant,  and  does  much  mischief  in  hives.  Very 
few  of  the  Tinece  exceed  or  even  equal  it  in  size.  In  its 
perfect  or  adult  state  it  is  a  winged  moth  or  miller,  measur- 
ing, from  the  head  to  the  tip  of  the  closed  wings,  from 
five  eighths  to  three  quarters  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  its 
wings  expand  from  one  inch  and  one  tenth  to  one  inch 
and  four  tenths.  The  feelers  are  two  in  number;  and  the 
tongue  is  very  short,  and  hardly  visible.  The  fore  wings 
shut  together  flatly  on  the  top  of  the  back,  slope  steeply 
downwards  at  the  sides,  and  are  turned  up  at  the  end, 
somewhat  like  the  tail  of  a  fowl.  This  resemblance  prob- 
ably suggested  the  name  of  the  genus,  Cratteria,  which  seems 
to  have  been  derived  from  the  Latin  word  for  a  fowl.  The 
male  is  of  a  dusty  gray  color ;  his  fore  wings  are  more  or 
less  glossed  and  streaked  with  purple-brown  on  the  outer 
edge,  they  have  a  few  dark  brown  spots  near  the  inner 
margin,  and  they  are  scalloped  or  notched  inwardly  at  the 
end ;  his  hind  wings  are  light  yellowish-gray,  with  whitish 
fringes.  The  female  is  much  larger  than  the  male,  and 
much  darker-colored  ;  her  fore  wings  are  proportionally 
longer,  not  so  deeply  notched  on  the  outer  hind  margin, 
and  not  so  much  turned  up  at  the  end ;  they  are  more 
tinged  with  purple-brown,  sprinkled  with  darker  spots ;  and 
the  hind  wings  are  dirty  or  grayish  white.  There  are  two 
broods  of  these  insects  in  the  course  of  a  year.  Some  winged 
moths  of  the  first  brood  begin  to  appear  towards  the  end 
of  April,  or  early  in  May;  those  of  the  second  brood  are 
most  abundant  in  August;  but  between  these  periods,  and 
even  later,  others  come  to  perfection,  and  consequently  some 
of  them  may  be  found  during  the  greater  part  of  the  summer. 
By  day  they  remain  quiet  on  the  sides  or  in  the  crevices 
of  the  bee-house ;  but,  if  disturbed  at  this  time,  they  open 
their  wings  a  little,  and  spring  or  glide  swiftly  away,  so 
that  it  is  very  difficult  to  seize  or  to  hold  them.  In  the 


THE    BEE-MOTH.  491 

evening  they  take  wing,  when  the  bees  are  at  rest,  and 
hover  around  the  hive,  till,  having  found  the  door,  they 
go  in  and  lay  their  eggs.  Those  that  are  prevented  by 
the  crowd,  or  by  any  other  cause,  from  getting  within  the 
hive,  lay  their  eggs  on  the  outside,  or  on  the  stand,  and 
the  little  worm-like  caterpillars  hatched  therefrom  easily 
creep  into  the  hive  through  the  cracks,  or  gnaw  a  passage 
for  themselves  under  the  edges  of  it. 

These  caterpillars,  at  first,  are  not  thicker  than  a  thread. 
They  have  sixteen  legs.  Their  bodies  are  soft  and  tender, 
and  of  a  yellowish-white  color,  sprinkled  with  a  few  little 
brownish  dots,  from  each  of  which  proceeds  a  short  hair  ; 
their  heads  are  brown  and  shelly,  and  there  are  two  brown 
spots  on  the  top  of  the  first  ring.  Weak  as  they  are,  and 
unprovided  with  any  natural  means  of  defence,  destined,  too, 
to  dwell  in  the  midst  of  the  populous  hive,  surrounded  by 
watchful  and  well-armed  enemies,  at  whose  expense  they  live, 
they  are  taught  how  to  shield  themselves  against  the  ven- 
geance of  the  bees,  and  pass  safely  and  unseen  in  every  di- 
rection through  the  waxen  cells,  which  they  break  down  and 
destroy.  Beeswax  is  their  only  food,  and  they  prefer  the 
old  to  the  new  comb,  and  are  always  found  most  numerous 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  hive,  where  the  oldest  honeycomb 
is  lodged.  It  is  not  a  little  wonderful,  that  these  insects 
should  be  able  to  get  any  nourishment  from  wax,  a  sub- 
stance which  other  animals  cannot  digest  at  all ;  but  they 
are  created  with  an  appetite  for  it,  and  with  such  extraor- 
dinary powers  of  digestion,  that  they  thrive  well  upon  this 
kind  of  food. 

As  soon  as  they  are  hatched  they  begin  to  spin  ;  and 
each  one  makes  for  itself  a  tough  silken  tube,  wherein  it 
can  easily  turn  around,  and  move  backwards  or  forwards 
at  pleasure.  During  the  day  they  remain  concealed  in  their 
silken  tubes ;  but  at  night,  when  the  bees  cannot  see  them, 
they  come  partly  out,  and  devour  the  wax  within  their 
reach.  As  they  increase  in  size,  they  lengthen  and  enlarge 


492  LEPIDOPTERA. 

their  dwellings,  and  cover  them  on  the  outside  with  a  coat- 
ing of  grains  of  wax  mixed  with  their  own  castings,  which 
resemble  gunpowder.  Protected  by  this  coating  from  the 
stings  of  the  bees,  they  work  their  way  through  the  combs, 
gnaw  them  to  pieces,  and  fill  the  hive  with  their  filthy  webs  ; 
till  at  last  the  discouraged  bees,  whose  diligence  and  skill 
are  of  no  more  use  to  them  in  contending  with  their  un- 
seen foes,  than  their  superior  size  and  powerful  weapons,  are 
compelled  to  abandon  their  perishing  brood  and  their  wasted 
stores,  and  leave  the  desolated  hive  to  the  sole  possession 
of  the  miserable  spoilers.  These  caterpillars  grow  to  the 
length  of  an  inch  or  a  little  more,  and  come  to  their  full 

o 

size  in  about  three  weeks.  They  then  spin  their  cocoons, 
which  are  strong  silken  pods,  of  an  oblong  oval  shape,  and 
about  one  inch  in  length,  and  are  often  clustered  together  in 
great  numbers  in  the  top  of  the  hive.  Some  time  afterwards, 
the  insects  in  these  cocoons  change  to  chrysalids  of  a  light 
brown  color,  rough  on  the  back,  and  with  an  elevated  dark 
brown  line  upon  it  from  one  end  to  the  other.  When  this 
transformation  happens  in  the  autumn,  the  insects  remain 
without  further  change  till  the  spring,  and  then  burst  open 
their  cocoons,  and  come  forth  with  wings.  Those  which 
become  chrysalids  in  the  early  part  of  summer  are  trans- 
formed to  winged  moths  fourteen  days  afterwards,  and  im- 
mediately pair,  lay  their  eggs,  and  die. 

Bees  suffer  most  from  the  depredations  of  these  insects 
in  hot  and  dry  summers.  Strong  and  healthy  swarms,  pro- 
vided with  a  constant  supply  of  food  near  home,  more  often 
escape  than  small  and  weak  ones.  When  the  moth-worms 
have  established  themselves  in  a  hive,  their  presence  is  made 
known  to  us  by  the  little  fragments  of  wax,  and  the  black 
grains  scattered  by  them  over  the  floor.  Means  should 
then  be  taken,  without  delay,  to  dislodge  the  depredators 
and  invigorate  the  swarm.  These  are  so  fully  described 
in  Dr.  Thacher's  "  Treatise  on  the  Management  of  Bees," 
and  in  other  works  on  the  same  subject,  that  I  shall  limit 


THE    TINEANS.  493 

myself  to  a  few  remarks,  and  refer  the  reader  for  further 
particulars  to  these  works.  Kollar  states  that  there  is  but 
one  sure  method  of  clearing  bee-hives  of  the  moth,  and  this 
is  to  look  for  and  destroy  the  caterpillars  or  moth-worms 
and  the  chrysalids ;  and  he  advises  that  the  hives  should 
be  examined,  for  this  purpose,  once  a  week,  and  that  all 
the  webs  and  cocoons,  with  the  insects  in  them,  should  be 
taken  out  and  destroyed.  At  all  events,  the  examination 
ought  to  be  made  every  year,  early  in  September,  when 
the  cocoons  will  be  found  in  greater  numbers  than  at  any 
other  time,  and  should  be  carefully  removed  and  burned. 
The  winged  moths  are  very  fond  of  sweets ;  and  if  shallow 
vessels,  containing  a  mixture  of  honey  or  sugar,  with  vin- 
egar and  water,  are  placed  near  the  bee-house  in  the  even- 
ing, the  moths  will  get  into  them  and  be  drowned.  In  this 
way  great  numbers  may  be  caught  every  night.  Several 
kinds  of  hives  and  bee-houses  have  been  contrived  and  rec- 
ommended, for  the  purpose  of  keeping  out  the  bee-moth; 
but  it  does  not  appear  that  any  of  them  entirely  supersede 
the  necessity  for  the  measures  above  recommended. 

The  various  kinds  of  destructive  moths  found  in  houses, 
stores,  barns,  granaries,  and  mills,  are  mostly  very  small 
insects ;  the  largest  of  them,  when  arrived  at  maturity,  ex- 
panding their  wings  only  about  eight  tenths  of  an  inch. 
The  ravages  of  some  of  these  little  creatures  are  too  well 
known  to  need  a  particular  description.  Among  them  may 
be  mentioned  the  clothes-moth  (Tinea  vestianella),  the  ta- 
pestry or  carpet-moth  (21  tapetzella),  the  fur-moth  (21  pel- 
lionella),  the  hair-moth  (21  Crinetta),  and  the  grain-moth 
(21  granella),  with  some  others,  belonging  to  a  group  which 
may  be  called  Tineans  (TINEADJS)  ;  also  the  pack-moth 
{Anacampsis  sarcitella),  which  is  very  destructive  to  wool 
and  fabrics  made  of  this  material,  and  the  Angoumois  grain- 
moth  (Butalis  cerealeUa),  both  of  which  are  to  be  included 
among  the  Yponomeutians.  In  the  cabinet  of  the  Boston 
Society  of  Natural  History,  the  cases  containing  the  large 


494  LEPIDOPTEBA. 

and  beautiful  collection  of  shells  were  formerly  lined  with 

fine  white   flannel.      In   this   some  moths  soon  established 

themselves,   multiplied  very  fast,  and,  in   the   course  of  a 

few  years,  did  so  much  damage  that  it  became  necessary 

entirely   to    remove    the   moth-eaten 

linings.     In  their  winged  state  these 

moths    (Fig.    241)    were   of  a  light 

_ ^x^^X  buff  color,  with  the  lustre  of  satin, 

BrBVJ    2^      and  had  a  thick  orange-colored  tuft 

^f  1  f^  on    the    forehead  ;    the    wings    were 

deeply  fringed,  and  the  first  pair  were 

lance-shaped,  and  expanded  rather  more  than  half  an  inch. 

This  species  agrees  very  well  with  the  description  given, 

by  the  old  naturalists,  of  the   Tinea 

Fig.  242 

flavifrontella*  (Fig.  242,  larva,  natural 
size  and  magnified),  or  the  orange- 
fronted  Tinea,  and  with  Wood's  fig- 
ure of  Tinea  destructor,  the  destroyer. 
Should  it  prove  to  be  different  from  these,  it  may  be  named 
the  satin-buff  moth.  Objects  of  natural  history  are  very 
apt  to  be  injured  by  another  moth,  closely  resembling  the 
foregoing,  and  differing  from  it  chiefly  in  being  somewhat 
smaller,  and  in  having  the  hind  wings  tinged  with  gray. 
Chocolate,  as  Reaumur  has  remarked,  is  devoured  by  an- 
other Tinea,  whose  little  silken  cases  are  often  seen  between 
the  cakes,  and  I  have  also  found  them  in  chocolate  put  up 
in  tin  cases.  Other  articles  of  food  are  also  devoured  by 
some  of  these  Tineae,  and  even  our  books  are  not  spared 
by  them. 

The  Tineans,  in  the  winged  state,  have  four  short  and 
slender  feelers,  a  thick  tuft  on  the  forehead,  and  veiy  nar- 
row wings,  which  are  deeply  fringed.  They  lay  their  eggs 
mostly  in  the  spring,  in  May  and  June,  and  die  imme- 
diately afterwards.  The  eggs  (according  to  Latreille  and 
Duponchel,  from  whose  works  the  following  remarks  are 

*  Not  the  Batia  Jlavifrontella  of  the  English  entomologists. 


CLOTHES-MOTHS.  495 

chiefly  extracted)  are  hatched  in  fifteen  days,  and  the  little 
whitish  caterpillars  or  moth-worms  proceeding  therefrom  im- 
mediately begin  to  gnaw  the  substances  within  their  reach, 
and  cover  themselves  with  the  fragments,  shaping  them  into 
little  hollow  rolls  and  lining  them  with  silk.  They  pass 
the  summer  within  these  rolls,  some  carrying  them  about 
on  their  backs  as  they  move  along,  and  others  fastening 
them  to  the  substance  they  are  eating;  and  they  enlarge 
them  from  time  to  time  by  adding  portions  to  the  two  open 
extremities,  and  by  gores  set  into  the  sides,  which  they 
slit  open  for  this  purpose.  Concealed  within  their  movable 
cases,  or  in  their  lint-covered  burrows,  they  carry  on  the 
work  of  destruction  through  the  summer;  but  in  the  au- 
tumn they  leave  off  eating,  make  fast  their  habitations,  and 
remain  at  rest  and  seemingly  torpid  through  the  winter. 
Early  in  the  spring  they  change  to  chrysalids  within  their 
cases,  and  in  about  twenty  days  afterwards  are  transformed 
to  winged  moths,  and  come  forth,  and  fly  about  in  the 
evening,  till  they  have  paired  and  are  ready  to  lay  their 
eggs.  They  then  contrive  to  slip  through  cracks  into  dark 
closets,  chests,  and  drawers,  under  the  edges  of  carpets,  in 
the  folds  of  curtains  and  of  garments  hanging  up,  and  into 
various  other  places,  where  they  immediately  lay  the  founda- 
tion for  a  new  colony  of  destructive  moth-worms. 

Early  in  June  the  prudent  housekeeper  will  take  care 
to  beat  up  their  quarters  and  put  them  to  flight,  or  to 
disturb  them  so  as  to  defeat  their  designs  and  destroy  their 
eggs  and  young.  With  this  view  wardrobes,  closets,  draw- 
ers, and  chests  will  be  laid  open,  and  emptied  of  their  con- 
tents, and  all  woollen  garments,  and  bedding,  furs,  feathers, 
carpets,  curtains,  and  the  like,  will  be  removed  and  exposed 
to  the  air,  and  to  the  heat  of  the  sun,  for  several  hours 
together,  and  will  not  be  put  back  in  their  places  without 
a  thorough  brushing,  beating,  or  shaking.  By  these  means, 
the  moths  and  their  eggs  will  be  dislodged  and  destroyed. 
In  old  houses,  that  are  much  infested  by  moths,  the  cracks 


496  LEPIDOPTERA. 

in  the  floors,  in  the  wainscot,  around  the  walls  and  shelves 
of  closets,  and  even  in  the  furniture  used  for  holding  clothes, 
should  be  brushed  over  with  spirits  of  turpentine.  Powdered 
black  pepper,  strewed  under  the  edges  of  carpets,  is  said 
to  repel  moths.  Sheets  of  paper  sprinkled  with  spirits  of 
turpentine,  camphor  in  coarse  powder,  leaves  of  tobacco, 
or  shavings  of  Russia  leather,  should  be  placed  among  the 
clothes,  when  they  are  laid  aside  for  the  summer. 

Furs,  plumes,  and  other  small  articles,  not  in  constant 
use,  are  best  preserved  by  being  put,  with  a  few  tobacco- 
leaves,  or  bits  of  camphor,  into  bags  made  of  thick  brown 
paper,  and  closely  sewed  or  pasted  up  at  the  end.  Chests 
of  camphor-wood,  red  cedar,  or  of  Spanish  cedar,  are  found 
to  be  the  best  for  keeping  all  articles  from  moths  and  other 
vermin.  The  cloth  linings  of  carriages  can  be  secured  for- 
ever from  the  attacks  of  moths  by  being  washed  or  sponged 
on  both  sides  with  a  solution  of  the  corrosive  sublimate  of 
mercury  in  alcohol,  made  just  strong  enough  not  to  leave 
a  white  stain  on  a  black  feather.  Moths  can  be  killed  by 
fumigating  the  article  containing  them  with  tobacco-smoke 
or  with  sulphur,  or  by  shutting  it  in  a  tight  vessel  and 
then  plunging  the  latter  into  boiling  water,  or  exposing  it 
to  steam,  for  the  space  of  fifteen  minutes,  or  by  putting  it 
into  an  oven  heated  to  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  degrees 
of  Fahrenheit's  thermometer. 

Stored  grain  is  exposed  to  much  injury  from  the  depre- 
dations of  two  little  moths,  in  Europe,  and  is  attacked  in 
the  same  way,  and  apparently  by  the  same  insects,  in  this 
country.  Not  having  had  sufficient  opportunity  to  examine 
these  insects  myself,  I  have  been  obliged  to  rely  upon  the 
accounts  given  by  foreign  writers  for  most  of  the  following 
particulars  respecting  their  history. 

The  European  grain-moth  (Tinea  granella),  in  its  per- 
fected state,  is  a  winged  insect,  between  three  and  four 
tenths  of  an  inch  long,  from  the  head  to  the  tip  of  its  wings, 
and  expands  six  tenths  of  an  inch.  It  has  a  whitish  tuft 


GRAIN-MOTHS.  497 

on  its  forehead;  its  long  and  narrow  wings  cover  its  back 
like  a  sloping  roof,  are  a  little  turned  up  behind,  and  are 
edged  with  a  wide  fringe.  Its  fore  wings  are  glossy,  like 
satin,  and  are  marbled  with  white  or  gray,  light  brown, 
and  dark  brown  or  blackish  spots,  and  there  is  always  one 
dark  square  spot  near  the  middle  of  the  outer  edge.  Its 
hind  wings  are  blackish.  Some  of  these  winged  moths 
appear  in  May,  others  in  July  and  August,  at  which  times 
they  lay  their  eggs ;  for  there  are  two  broods  of  them  in 
the  course  of  the  year.  The  young  from  the  first-laid  eggs 
come  to  their  growth  and  finish  their  transformations  in 
six  weeks  or  two  months ;  the  others  live  through  the  win- 
ter, and  turn  to  winged  moths  in  the  following  spring. 
The  young  moth-worms  (Plate  VII.  Fig.  6)  do  not  bur- 
row into  the  grain,  as  has  been  asserted  by  some  writers, 
who  seem  to  have  confounded  them  with  the  Angoumois 
grain-worms ;  but,  as  soon  as  they  are  hatched,  they  begin 
to  gnaw  the  grain  and  cover  themselves  with  the  fragments, 
which  they  line  with  a  silken  web.  As  they  increase  in 
size,  they  fasten  together  several  grains  with  their  webs 
(Plate  VII.  Fig.  7),  so  as  to  make  a  larger  cavity,  wherein 
they  live.  After  a  while,  becoming  uneasy  in  their  confined 
habitations,  they  come  out,  and  wander  over  the  grain, 
spinning  their  threads  as  they  go,  till  they  have  found  a 
suitable  place  wherein  to  make  their  cocoons.  Thus  wheat, 
rye,  barley,  and  oats,  all  of  which  they  attack,  will  be  found 
full  of  lumps  of  grains  cemented  together  by  these  corn- 
worms,  as  they  are  sometimes  called ;  and  when  they  are 
very  numerous,  the  whole  surface  of  the  grain  in  the  bin 
will  be  covered  with  a  thick  crust  of  webs  and  of  adhering 
grains. 

These  destructive  corn-worms  are  really  soft  and  naked 
caterpillars,  of  a  cylindrical  shape,  tapering  a  little  at  each 
end,  and  are  provided  with  sixteen  legs,  the  first  three  pairs 
of  which  are  conical  and  jointed,  and  the  others  fleshy  and 
wart-like.  When  fully  grown,  they  measure  four  or  five 
63 


498  LEPIDOPTERA. 

tenths  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  are  of  a  light  ochre  or 
buff  color,  with  a  reddish  head.  When  about  six  weeks 
old,  they  leave  the  grain,  and  get  into  cracks,  or  around 
the  sides  of  corn-bins,  and  each  one  then  makes  itself  a 
little  oval  pod  or  cocoon,  about  as  large  as  a  grain  of  wheat. 
The  insects  of  the  first  brood,  as  before  said,  come  out  of 
their  cocoons,  in  the  winged  form,  in  July  and  August, 
and  lay  their  eggs  for  another  brood ;  the  others  remain 
unchanged  in  their  cocoons,  through  the  winter,  and  take 
the  chrysalis  form  in  March  or  April  following.  Three 
weeks  afterwards,  the  shining  brown  chrysalis  forces  itself 
part  way  out  of  the  cocoon,  by  the  help  of  some  little  sharp 
points  on  its  tail,  and  bursts  open  at  the  other  end,  so  as 
to  allow  the  moth  therein  confined  to  come  forth. 

From  various  statements,  deficient  however  in  exactness, 
that  have  appeared  in  some  of  our  agricultural  journals, 
I  am  led  to  think  that  this  corn-moth,  or  an  insect  much 
like  it  in  its  habits,  prevails  in  all  parts  of  the  country, 
and  that  it  has  generally  been  mistaken  for  the  grain-weevil. 
Many  years  ago  I  remember  to  have  seen  oats  and  shelled 
corn  (maize)  affected  in  the  way  above  described ;  and  Dr. 
Asa  Fitch  has  favored  me  with  a  grain-moth,  obtained  in 
a  flour-mill  at  East  Greenwich,  New  York,  which  agreed 
with  the  descriptions  and  figures  of  the  European  Tinea 
grandla.  In  some  remarks  upon  this  insect  in  the  Albany 
"Cultivator,"  for  January,  1847,  he  states  that  the  Amer- 
ican insect  was  observed  to  make  its  cocoon  within  the 
webs  among  the  gram,  instead  of  retiring  therefrom  when 
about  to  undergo  its  transformations.  The  habits  of  the 
European  grain-moth  are  probably  sometimes  varied ;  for, 
although  most  writers  on  its  history  agree  in  saying  that 
the  insect  leaves  the  grain  and  conceals  itself  in  crevices 
of  the  granary  when  preparing  to  make  its  cocoon,  Olivier* 
expressly  states  that  it  undergoes  its  transformation  in  its 
web  among  the  grain. 

*  Encyclopedic  M«*thodique,  Insectes,  Tom.  IV.  p.  114. 


THE    ANGOUMOIS    GRAIN-MOTH.  499 

There  is  another  grain-moth,  which,  at  various  times, 
has  been  found  to  be  more  destructive  in  granaries,  in  some 
provinces  of  France,  than  the  preceding  kind.  It  is  the 
Angoumois  moth,  or  Anacampsis  {Butalis)  cerealella,  an 
insect  evidently  belonging  to  the  family  of  YPONOMEUTAD^E, 
or  Yponomeutians.  The  winged  moths  of  this  group  have 
only  two  visible  feelers,  and  these  are  generally  long,  slender, 
and  curved  over  their  heads.  Their  narrow  wings  most 
often  overlap  each  other,  and  cover  their  backs  horizontally 
when  shut.  It  is  stated  in  the  "Introduction  to  Entomol- 
ogy,"* by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kirby  and  Mr.  Spence,  that  the 
insect  under  consideration  is  not  yet  named.  This,  how- 
ever, is  a  mistake ;  for  it  was  named  Alucita  cerealella,  by 
Olivier,f  as  long  ago  as  the  year  1789.  Olivier's  name 
for  it  appears  also  to  have  been  overlooked  by  Latreille, 
who  has  given  it  that  of  (Ecophora  grandla.\  Moreover, 
the  writers  of  the  "Introduction"  have  extracted  from  the 
works  of  Re'aumur  §  an  account  of  the  habits  of  this  insect, 
which  they  call  Tinea  Hordei  and  YpsolopTms  granellus,\\ 
without  seeming  to  be  aware  that  it  is  the  same  as  the 
Angoumois  moth.  In  the  first  edition  of  this  treatise,  I 
stated  that  "  the  Angoumois  grain-moth  probably  belongs 
to  the  modern  genus  Anacampsis,  a  word  derived  from  the 
Greek,  and  signifying  recurved,  in  allusion  to  the  direction 
of  the  feelers  of  the  moths."  To  this  genus,  as  understood 
by  most  English  entomologists,  it  certainly  does  belong ; 
but  Mr.  Curtis  is  disposed  to  place  it  in  his  genus  Laverna, 
including  certain  species  which  he  has  separated  from  Ana- 
campsis. The  French  naturalist  Duponchel,  who  has  de- 
scribed and  figured  it  in  the  fourth  volume  of  the  Sup- 
plement to  his  "  Histoire  Naturelle  des  Le*pidopteres  de 

*  Fifth  edition,  Vol.  I.  p.  172. 

t  Encyclopedic  Me"thodique,  Hist.  Nat.  Insectes,  Tom.  IV.  p.  121.     See  also 
Guerin's  edition  of  Tigny's  Histoire  Nat.  des  Insectes,  Tom.  IX.  p.  301. 
J  Cuvier's  Regne  Animal,  2d  edition. 
§  Mdmoires,  Tom.  II.  p.  486. 
||  Introduction  to  Entomology,  Vol.  I.  p.  174. 


500  LEPIDOPTERA. 

France,"  refers  this  insect  to  the  genus  Butalis,  which  name 
I  have  thought  proper  now  to  adopt. 

For  more  than  a  century,  this  insect  has  prevailed  in 
the  western  parts  of  France,  and  has  gradually  been  ex- 
tending in  an  easterly  and  northerly  direction.  In  the  year 
1736,  the  French  naturalist  Rdaumur  published  an  interest- 
ing account  of  it,  illustrated  by  rude  figures,  in  the  second 
volume  of  his  instructive  "  Me*moires."  He  found  it  to  be 
very  injurious  to  stored  barley,  at  Lu$on,  in  the  province 
of  La  Vende'e,  and  ascertained  that  it  destroyed  wheat  also. 
In  the  adjacent  province  of  Angoumois,  it  continued  to 
increase  for  many  years,  till  at  length  the  attention  of  gov- 
ernment was  directed  to  its  fearful  depredations.  This  was 
in  1760,  when  the  insect  was  found  to  swarm  in  all  the 
wheat- fields  and  granaries  of  Angoumois  and  of  the  neigh- 
boring provinces,  and  the  afflicted  inhabitants  were  thereby 
deprived  not  only  of  their  principal  staple,  wherewith  they 
were  wont  to  pay  their  annual  rents,  their  taxes,  and  their 
tithes,  but  were  threatened  with  famine  and  pestilence  from 
the  want  of  wholesome  bread.  Two  members  of  the  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences  of  Paris,  the  celebrated  Duhamel  du  Mon- 
ceau  and  M.  Tillet,  were  then  commissioned  to  visit  the 
province  of  Angoumois,  and  inquire  into  the  nature  of  this 
destructive  insect.  The  result  of  their  inquiries  was  com- 
municated to  the  Academy,  in  whose  history  and  memoirs 
it  may  be  found,  and  was  also  subsequently  republished 
in  a  separate  volume.*  From  this  work,  and  from  the 
"  Me*moires  "  of  Re'aumur,  the  following  particulars  are  de- 
rived. 

The  Angoumois  grain-insect,  in  its  perfected  state,  is  a 
little  moth,  of  a  pale  cinnamon-brown  color  above,  having 
the  lustre  of  satin,  with  narrow  broadly  fringed  hind  wings 
of  an  ashen  or  leaden  color,  two  thread-like  antenna,  con- 

"  Histoire  d'nn  Insect*  qui  ddvore  les  Grains  de  1' Angoumois,"  12mo,  Paris, 
1762.  See  also  "  Histoire  de  I' Academic  Royale  des  Sciences,"  Ann<5e  1761,  p.  66, 
and  "  Me-moires,"  p.  289,  4to,  Paris,  1763. 


THE    ANGOUMOIS    GKAIN-MOTH.  501 

sisting  of  numerous  beaded  joints,  a  spiral  tongue  of  mod- 
erate length,  and  two  tapering  feelers,  turned  over  its  head. 
It  lays  from  sixty  to  ninety  eggs,  placing  them  in  clusters 
of  twenty  or  more  on  a  single  grain.  From  these  are 
hatched,  in  from  four  to  six  days,  little  worm-like  cater- 
pillars, not  thicker  than  a  hair.  These  immediately  dis- 
perse, and  each  one  selects  for  itself  a  single  grain,  and 
burrows  therein  at  the  most  tender  part,  commonly  the 
place  whence  the  plumule  comes  forth.  Remaining  there 
concealed,  it  devours  the  mealy  substance  within  the  hull ; 
and  this  destruction  goes  on  so  secretly,  as  only  to  be  de- 
tected by  the  softness  of  the  grain  or  the  loss  of  its  weight. 
When  fully  grown,  this  caterpillar  is  not  more  than  one 
fifth  of  an  inch  long.  It  is  of  a  white  color,  with  a  brown- 
ish head ;  and  it  has  six  small  jointed  legs,  and  ten  ex- 
tremely small  wart-like  prop-legs.  Having  eaten  out  the 
heart  of  the  grain,  which  is  just  enough  for  all  its  wants, 
it  spins  a  silken  web  or  curtain  to  divide  the  hollow,  length- 
wise, into  two  unequal  parts,  the  smaller  containing  the 
rejected  fragments  of  its  food,  and  the  larger  cavity  serving 
instead  of  a  cocoon,  wherein  the  insect  undergoes  its  trans- 
formations. Before  turning  to  a  chrysalis  it  gnaws  a  small 
hole  nearly  or  quite  through  the  hull,  and  sometimes  also 
through  the  chaffy  covering  of  the  grain,  through  which  it 
can  make  its  escape  easily  when  it  becomes  a  winged  moth. 
The  insects  of  the  first,  or  summer  brood,  come  to  ma- 
turity in  about  three  weeks,  remain  but  a  short  time  in 
the  chrysalis  state,  and  turn  to  winged  moths  in  the  au- 
tumn, and  at  this  time  may  be  found,  in  the  evening,  in 
great  numbers,  laying  their  eggs  on  the  grain  stored  in 
barns  and  granaries.  The  moth- worms  of  the  second  brood 
remain  in  the  grain  through  the  winter,  and  do  not  change 
to  winged  insects  till  the  following  summer,  when  they 
come  out,  fly  into  the  fields  in  the  night,  and  lay  their  eggs 
on  the  young  ears  of  the  growing  grain.  Although  there 
seem  to  be  two  principal  broods  in  the  course  of  a  year, 


502  LEPIDOPTEBA. 

we  are  not  to  understand  that  these  are  the  only  ones ;  for 
French  writers  inform  us,  that  others  are  produced  during 
the  whole  summer,  and  that  the  production  of  the  insects 
is  accelerated  or  retarded  by  differences  in  the  temperature 
of  the  air.*  When  damaged  grain  is  sown,  it  comes  up 
very  thin;  the  infected  kernels  seldom  sprout,  but  the  in- 
sects lodged  in  them  remain  alive,  finish  their  transforma- 
tions in  the  field,  and  in  due  time  come  out  of  the  ground 
in  the  winged  form. 

To  the  foregoing  sketch  must  now  be  added  an  account 

O  O 

of  an  American  grain-insect,  which,  in  the  first  edition  of 
this  treatise,  I  suggested  would  prove  to  be  the  same  as 
the  Angoumois  grain-moth.  Having  since  obtained  some 
of  these  American  insects  from  various  quarters,  and  having 
had  a  colony  of  them  living  and  increasing,  for  three  years, 
under  my  own  eye,  I  find  them  to  agree,  in  all  essential 
particulars,  with  the  European  species.  Until,  therefore, 
they  are  proved,  by  actual  comparison  with  perfect  speci- 
mens of  the  latter,  to  be  absolutely  distinct,  I  must  consider 
it  as  next  to  certain  that  they  are  identical,  and  that  they 
have  been  introduced  into  this  country  from  Europe.  Per- 
haps, hereafter,  the  mode  of  their  introduction  may  be  as 
satisfactorily  ascertained  as  that  of  the  Hessian  fly.  In  the 
year  1768,  Colonel  Landon  Carter,  of  Sabine  Hall,  Virginia, 
communicated  to  the  American  Philosophical  Society  at  Phila- 
delphia some  interesting  "  Observations  concerning  the  Fly- 
Weevil  that  destroys  Wheat."  These  were  printed  in  the 
first  volume  of  the  "  Transactions  "  of  the  Society,  and  were 
followed  by  some  remarks  on  the  subject  by  "  the  Committee 
of  Husbandry."  This  is  the  earliest  authentic  account  of 
the  insect  that  I  have  met  with.  The  Committee  stated, 
that  "  it  was  said  the  injury  of  wheat  from  these  flies  began 
in  North  Carolina  about  forty  years  before,  —  and  that  they 
had  extended  gradually  from  Carolina  into  Virginia,  Mary- 
land, and  the  lower  counties  of  Delaware,  but  had  not  then 

*  Olivier,  Encyclopedic  M6thodique,  Insectes,  Tom.  IV.  p.  115. 


THE    ANGOUMOIS    GBAIN-MOTH.  503 

penetrated  into  Pennsylvania  or  passed  the  Delaware."  They 
remarked,  moreover,  that  the  insects  "  appeared  to  be  of 
the  same  kind  with  those  that  do  the  like  mischief  in  Europe, 
as  described  to  Mr.  Duhamel  by  a  gentleman  of  Angou- 
mois." 

Mr.  Louis  A.  G.  Bosc,  who  was  sent  by  the  French 
government,  in  1796,  to  this  country,  where  he  spent  several 
years,  found  the  Alucita  cerealella  "  so  abundant  in  Carolina 
as  to  extinguish  a  candle  when  he  entered  his  granary  in  the 
night."  *  This  fly- weevil,  or  little  grain-moth,  has  spread 
from  North  Carolina  and  Virginia,  where  its  depredations 
were  first  observed,  into  Kentucky,  and  the  southern  parts 
of  Ohio  and  Indiana,  and  probably  more  or  less  throughout 
the  wheat  region  of  the  adjacent  States,  between  the  thirty- 
sixth  and  fortieth  degrees  of  north  latitude.  But  these  are 
not  the  extreme  limits  of  its  occasional  depredations,  as  it  has 
been  found  even  in  New  England,  where,  however,  its  propa- 
gation seems  to  have  been  limited  by  the  length  and  severity 
of  the  winter.  Wheat,  barley,  oats,  and  Indian  corn  suffer 
alike  from  it,  the  last  especially  when  kept  unprotected  more 
than  six  or  eight  months. 

Several  essays  on  this  insect  have  appeared  in  agricultural 
journals,  none  of  which,  however,  were  known  to  me  when 
my  first  account  of  the  Angoumois  moth  was  written.  One 
of  these  is  an  elaborate  article  by  Edward  Ruffin,  Esq.,  of 
Hanover  County,  Virginia,  printed  in  "  The  Farmers'  Regis- 
ter "  for  November,  1833.  The  object  of  the  writer  is  to 
prove,  by  a  series  of  experiments,  that  there  is  a  continued 
reproduction  of  the  insect,  in  stored  grain,  at  short  intervals, 
throughout  the  warm  season,  or  from  the  latter  part  of  June 
till  further  increase  is  checked  by  cold  weather.  Mr.  Ruifin 
thinks  that  but  very  few  eggs  are  deposited  on  corn  in  the 
field,  that  these  do  not  ordinarily  hatch  till  the  following 
summer,  and  that  then  they  are  sufficient  to  stock  the  whole 

*  Encyclopedic  Me*thodique,  Agriculture,  Tom.  V.  p.  243.  —  Mr.  Bosc,  a  con- 
tributor to  this  work,  resided  some  time  at  Wilmington,  North  Carolina. 


504  LEPIDOPTERA. 

crop  of  stored  grain  with  their  progeny.  Mr.  Samuel  Ju- 
dah,  of  Vincennes,  Indiana,  in  a  short  and  very  sensible 
article,  published  in  "  The  Indiana  Farmer  and  Gardener  " 
for  October  4,  1845,  seems  to  have  come  to  nearly  the 
same  conclusions.  Mr.  Richard  Owen,  of  New  Harmony, 
Indiana,  has  given  a  very  good  history  of  this  insect,  accom- 
panied with  wood-cuts,  in  "  The  Cultivator,"  for  July  and 
November,  1846.  To  this  I  may  have  occasion  again  to 
refer,  as  also  to  two  other  articles,  on  the  same  subject,  by 
Edward  Ruffin,  Esq.,  in  the  sixth  volume  of  "  The  Ameri- 
can Agriculturist,"  pages  52  and  93,  published  in  February 
and  March,  1847. 

In  the  summer  of  1840,  Mr.  E.  C.  Herrick,  of  New  Ha- 
ven, Connecticut,  sent  to  me  a  few  grains  of  wheat,  that  had 
been  eaten  by  moth-worms  precisely  in  the  same  way  as  grain 
is  attacked  by  the  Angoumois  insect ;  and  a  gentleman,  to 
whom  this  moth-eaten  wheat  was  shown,  informed  me  that 
he  had  seen  grain  thus  affected  in  Maine.  Unfortunately, 
the  insects  contained  in  this  wheat  were  dead  when  received, 
having  perished  in  the  chrysalis  state.  Had  they  lived  to 
finish  their  transformations,  they  would  have  afforded  me 
an  opportunity  of  ascertaining  their  suspected  identity  with 
the  fly-weevil  of  Virginia,  and  the  Angoumois  moth  of 
France.  All  my  attempts  to  obtain  specimens  of  the  fly- 
weevil  from  the  South  and  West  were  unsuccessful,  till  the 
10th  of  November,  1845,  when  I  had  the  pleasure  of  receiv- 
ing a  parcel  of  damaged  wheat  and  a  bottle  full  of  the  moths 
from  Richmond,  Virginia,  through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  John 
Dunlop  Osborne,  then  a  student  in  the  Law  School  of 
Harvard  College.  Living  specimens,  and  the  insects  in  the 
worm  or  larva  state,  were  still  wanting.  These  were  most 
unexpectedly  obtained  nearer  home. 

The  late  Samuel  M.  Burnside,  Esq.,  of  Worcester,  told 
me,  in  the  summer  of  1844,  that  he  had  a  quantity  of  corn, 
grown  the  year  before,  which  had  become  infested  with 
insects,  and  that  he  found  great  numbers  of  the  insects,  on 


THE    ANGOUMOIS    GKAIN-MOTH.  505 

the  wing,  in  the  room  where  the  corn  was  kept.     He  also 
brought  to  me  two  large  ears  of  corn  from  the  infected  heap. 
At  that  time,  I  was  not  aware  that  the  fly-weevil  attacked 
Indian   corn,   at  least  in   New   England ;   and   these  ears, 
appearing  sound  externally,  were  rolled  up  in  several  sheets 
of  strong   brown  paper,   securely  tied,  and   laid   away  for 
future  examination.     They  were  forgotten,  however,  till  De- 
cember, 1845,  when,  upon   opening  the  parcel,  I  found  a 
great  quantity  of  dead  moths,  and  several  living  ones,  in  the 
paper.     Every  kernel  appeared  to  have  been  perforated,  and 
many  of  the  kernels  had  three  or  four  holes  in  each  of  them. 
Some  contained  the  insect  in  the  worm  state,  and  some  the 
fully  formed  chrysalis.     The  moths  differed  from  the  Vir- 
ginia fly-weevil  only  in  being  rather  larger,  with  blackish 
fore  legs,  and  in  having  a  more  conspicuous  blackish   spot 
near   the  tips  of  the   feelers,   showing   them  to  be  merely 
varieties  of  the   same   species.     This   remark   seems  to  be 
confirmed  by  the  now  well-known  fact,  that  the  fly-weevil, 
at  the  South  and  West,  attacks  corn  as  well  as  wheat,  and 
by  the  statement  of  Mr.  Owen,  that  "  the  insect  found  in 
corn  does  not  differ  from  that  found  in  wheat ;  it  is  usually," 
says  he,  "  somewhat  larger  than  the  specimens  from  wheat, 
but  this  may  be  owing  to  the  greater  amount  of  nourishment 
which  the  corn  has   afforded."     Moreover,  we   learn  from 
the   works    of  Olivier   and   of  Bonafous,*  that   maize  also 
suffers  from  the  Angoumois  moth  in  France.     It  is  related 
that  Kalm,  the  Swedish  traveller,  on  finding  some  bugs  in 
pease   that   he   had   carried   home   from   this  country,  was 
filled  with  alarm,  "  fearing  lest  he  might  thereby  introduce 
so  great  an   evil   into  his  beloved   Sweden."     With  some- 
thing of  the  same  feeling,  on  finding  what  the  insects  were 
that  had  been  depredating  in  my  friend's  corn-bin,  I  put 
the  two  ears  of  corn  into  a. large  glass  jar,  and  corked  it 
tight,  to  prevent  the  escape  of  any  moths  that  might  be 

*  Encyclopedic  Mdthodique,  lusectes,  Tom.  IV.  p.  121.    Histoire  du  Mais,  par 
M.  Bonafous,  p.  111. 

64 


506  LEPIDOPTERA. 

developed  from  worms  and  chrysalids  remaining  in  the  ker- 
nels. The  next  June,  a  swarm  of  moths  appeared  in  the 
jar,  in  which  they  continued  to  propagate  three  years,  suc- 
cessively, producing  moths  in  considerable  quantities  in  June 
and  in  August,  with  a  smaller  number  at  various  inter- 
mediate times,  except  during  the  depth  of  winter. 

These  corn-moths,  as  already  stated,  were  rather  larger 
than  those  from  the  wheat,  the  wings  of  some  of  them 
expanding  nearly  six  tenths  of  an  inch.*  The  head  is 
smooth,  and  not  tufted.  The  antennae  are  thread-like,  with 
distinctly  marked  joints.  The  feelers  are  long  and  curved 
upwards ;  the  terminal  joint  naked,  acute,  and  blackish  near 
the  tip ;  the  second  or  middle  joint  rather  shorter  and  thick- 
er, hairy  beneath,  and  blackish  on  the  outer  side ;  the  basal 
joint  very  short  and  hairy.  The  tongue  makes  several 
spiral  turns,  and,  when  extended,  is  about  half  the  length 
of  the  antennae.  The  body  and  fore  wings  are  of  that  tint 
of  pale  brownish-gray  which  the  French  call  coffee  and 
milk  color,  and  they  have  the  lustre  of  satin.  The  fore 
wings  are  long  and  narrow,  and  are  pointed  at  the  end ; 
together  with  their  wide  fringes,  they  are  more  or  less 
sprinkled  with  blackish  dots,  especially  near  the  tips.  The 
hind  wings  are  blackish,  with  a  leaden  lustre ;  they  are 
narrow,  and  are  very  suddenly  and  obliquely  contracted  to 
a  point  at  the  tips ;  they  are  entirely  surrounded  with  a 
blackish  fringe,  which  is  wider  on  the  inner  margin  than 
the  wing  itself.  They  are  folded  lengthwise,  when  at  rest, 
beneath  the  upper  wings.  The  fore  legs  are  blackish,  and 
the  hindmost  legs  are  fringed  with  long  hairs  on  the  inner 
side.  The  chrysalis  is  obtuse  at  each  end ;  the  tail  sur- 
rounded with  a  few  minute  points,  three  of  which  are  larger 
than  the  rest;  the  rings  of  the  body  are  smooth,  or  not 

•  Mr.  Curtis,  probably  through  inadvertence,  has  stated  that  Butalis  cereahlla 
"  expands  rather  more  than  one  inch."  Half  an  inch  is  the  true  measure.  See 
Journal  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  England,  Vol.  VII.  p.  86.  Compare 
Duponchel,  Hist.  Nat.  des  L^pidopteres  de  France,  Supplement,  Tom.  IV.  pi. 
88,  fig.  8. 


REMEDIES    AGAINST    GRAIN-MOTHS.  507 

notched ;  and  the  wing-cases  extend  nearly  to  the  Binder 
extremity.  The  chrysalis-skin  generally  remains  within  the 
grain  when  the  moth  comes  out;  in  some  few  cases,  how- 
ever, it  was  found  sticking  out  of  the  orifice  in  the  kernel, 
and  sometimes  in  the  crevices  between  the  kernels.  The 
foregoing  minute  description,  which  is  taken  from  perfectly 
fresh  and  uninjured  specimens,  will  serve  to  remove  any 
doubt  as  to  the  genus  and  species  to  which  this  corn-moth 
is  to  be  referred. 

It  has  been  proved  by  experience,  that  the  ravages  of  the 
two  kinds  of  grain-moths  whose  history  has  been  now  given 
can  be  effectually  checked  by  drying  the  damaged  grain 
in  an  oven  or  kiln ;  and  that  a  heat  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  degrees,  by  Fahrenheit's  thermometer,  continued 
during  twelve  hours,  will  kill  the  insects  in  all  their  forms. 
Indeed,  the  heat  may  be  reduced  to  one  hundred  and  four 
degrees  with  the  same  effect,  but  the  grain  must  then  be 
exposed  to  it  for  the  space  of  two  days.  Insect-mills,  some- 
what like  coffee-roasters  on  a  large  scale,  have  been  invented 
in  France,  for  the  purpose  of  heating  and  agitating  the  in- 
fested wheat,  by  which  the  eggs  and  larvaB  of  the  little 
corn-moth,  or  Butalis,  are  destroyed.  Fumigation  in  close 
vessels,  with  the  gas  of  burning  charcoal,  is  found  to  be 
an  effectual  remedy ;  and  Dr.  Herpin  states  that  this  process 
neither  imparts  any  bad  flavor  to  the  grain,  nor  does  it 
impair  its  power  of  vegetating.  He  recommends  also  the 
early  threshing  and  winnowing  of  wheat,  as  tending  to  pre- 
serve it.*  This,  indeed,  is  advocated  by  the  most  experi- 
enced wheat  cultivators  in  this  country,  particularly  if  done 
by  machinery ;  and  it  should  not  be  deferred  later  than  the 
end  of  July.  The  concussion  and  agitation  undergone  by 
the  wheat  in  being  threshed  and  winnowed,  as  intimated 
by  Dr.  Herpin,  Mr.  Judah,  and  others,  is  supposed  to  dis- 

*  See  Duponchel,  Le*pidopt.  de  France,  Supplem.,  Tom.  IV.  pp.  450-453;  and 
Mr.  Curtis's  paper  in  the  Journ.  Royal  Society  of  Agricult.  of  England,  Vol.  VII. 
pp.  87-89. 


508  LEPIDOPTEEA. 

lodge  the  eggs  and  kill  the  larvae  of  the  insect.  With  the 
same  view,  Mr.  Owen  recommends  passing  the  new  wheat 
through  "  a  rubbing  mill,  such  as  is  used  in  Virginia  and 
other  large  wheat-growing  districts,  to  insure  first-rate  flour"; 
after  which  the  wheat  may  be  kept  in  bulk,  or  may  be  im- 
mediately ground.  If  a  large  surface  of  grain  be  exposed 
in  the  barn,  the  granary,  or  the  mill,  during  the  season 
of  the  moth,  it  will  assuredly  become  affected ;  for,  in  the 
night,  when  these  insects  are  most  active  and  on  the  wing, 
they  will  light  upon  the  exposed  surface  and  deposit  their 
eggs,  which,  in  a  few  months  of  hot  weather,  will  produce 
numerous  and  successive  broods  of  moth- worms.  To  se- 
cure it  from  attack,  therefore,  the  grain  should  be  deposited 
in  tight  bins  or  casks,  after  having  been  properly  prepared 
by  being  dried  in  a  kiln,  or  even  by  exposure  to  the  heat 
of  the  sun. 

Some  persons  have  succeeded  perfectly  in  preserving 
grain  from  the  corn-weevil  and  from  the  corn-moth  by 
putting  it  into  casks  heated  and  fumigated  with  burning 
charcoal.  The  charcoal  may  be  burnt  in  a  portable  furnace, 
lowered  into  the  cask  by  a  chain ;  and  the  grain  should  be 
poured  in  while  the  cask  is  hot.  It  has  been  observed  that 
a  low  temperature  checks  the  propagation  of  the  corn-moth, 
and  that  the  larvae,  or  moth-worms,  in  the  grain  cannot 
survive  the  winter  in  those  places  where  the  thermometer 
falls  to  zero.  Hence,  in  the  cool  and  well-ventilated  corn- 
barns  of  New  England,  grain  will  ordinarily  be  exempt  from 
attack.  During  the  summer,  however,  grain  that  has  been 
brought  from  infected  districts,  or  that  has  otherwise  become 
contaminated,  will  be  likely  to  suffer  to  some  extent,  even 
here.  From  these  facts  we  learn  how  important  it  is  that 
wheat  and  corn,  which  are  to  be  kept  over  winter,  for  use, 
for  sale,  or  for  seed,  should  be  previously  well  prepared, 
and  should  be  deposited  in  suitable  vessels  in  cool  apart- 
ments, no  matter  how  cold,  provided  they  are  also  dry. 
It  has  been  observed  that  very  little  corn  is  attacked  in  the 


ENEMIES    OF    GRAIN-MOTHS.  509 

field,  the  husks  or  shucks  protecting  it  from  the  moths, 
which  find  only  a  few  ears,  whose  ends  protrude  beyond 
the  husks,  whereon  to  deposit  their  eggs.  Hence  some  per- 
sons recommend  keeping  corn  in  the  husks,  to  preserve  it 
from  the  corn-moth  and  also  from  the  corn-weevil.  This 
method  is  objectionable  on  account  of  the  trouble  it  occa- 
sions, and  the  increased  bulk  of  the  corn ;  and  it  is  less 
sure  than  the  means  above  described. 

Mr.  Owen  has  made  the  interesting  discovery,  that  the 
larvae  of  the  wheat-moth  are  sometimes  preyed  upon  by 
still  smaller  larvae,  which,  having  destroyed  their  victims, 
are  transformed  to  minute  black  ichneumon-flies.  These 
have  not  yet  been  obtained  from  any  of  the  samples  of 
infected  wheat  or  corn  that  have  come  under  my  notice ; 
but,  from  the  figures  given  of  them  by  Mr.  Owen  in  "  The 
Cultivator,"  for  November,  1846,  they  appear  evidently  to 
be  Chalcidian  parasites,  and  belong  perhaps  to  the  genus 
Pteromalm.  Of  these  parasitical  flies  he  remarks,  that 
"  some  farmers  had  noticed  large  numbers  among  the  tail- 
ings of  the  winnowing  machine."  Where  they  prevail,  they 
doubtless  contribute,  in  no  small  measure,  to  check  the  in- 
crease of  the  moths. 

The  Angoumois  moth  is  unknown  in  England.  Hence 
specimens  of  the  American  insect,  sent  by  me  to  my  friend, 
the  late  Mr.  Edward  Doubleday,  of  the  British  Museum, 
in  December,  1845,  were  not  immediately  recognized  by 
him  and  by  Mr.  Curtis,  the  celebrated  English  entomologist. 
Afterwards,  on  consulting  the  work  of  Duponchel  on  the 
Lepidoptera  of  France,  they  identified  my  specimens  as  be- 
longing to  the  Butalis  cerealella,  the  true  Angoumois  grain- 
moth,  described  and  figured  in  that  work.  This  identifi- 
cation is  the  more  interesting  and  satisfactory,  from  the 
circumstance  that  I  had  not  communicated  to  these  gentle- 
men my  belief  that  the  insects  were  the  same,  and  had 
given  to  them  no  account  of  the  habits  of  my  specimens, 
being  desirous  of  obtaining  their  opinion  unbiased  by  my 


510  LEPIDOPTERA. 

own.  I  am  not  aware  that  any  attempt  had  been  made 
by  European  naturalists,  before  the  publication  of  the  first 
edition  of  this  treatise,  to  determine  the  modern  genus  to 
which  the  Angoumois  moth  belongs,  or  to  clear  up  and 
make  known  the  synonymy  of  this  species.  This  labor 
seems  to  have  been  left  to  an  American,  remote  from  the 
scene  of  the  early  and  long  continued  depredations  of  the 
insect,  and  deprived  of  the  common  facilities  enjoyed  by 
European  naturalists. 

7.    FEATHER-WINGED   MOTHS.     (Alucitce.) 

The  last  tribe  of  Lepidopterous  insects  remaining  to  be 
noticed  contains  the  ALUCITJE  of  Linnaeus,  or  feather- 
winged  moths,  called  PTEROPHORIDJE  by  the  French  natu- 
ralists. These  moths  are  easily  known  by  their  wings 
being  divided  lengthwise  into  narrow,  fringed  branches, 
resembling  feathers.  The  fore  wings  in  the  genus  Ptero- 
phorm  are  split,  nearly  half-way,  into  two,  and  the  hind 
wings  are  divided,  to'  the  shoulder-joint,  into  three  feathers ; 
and  each  of  the  wings,  in  Alucita,  consists  of  six  feathers, 
connected  only  at  the  joint.  The  antennae  of  these  moths 
are  slender  and  tapering ;  the  tongue  is  long ;  the  feelers 
are  two  in  number,  and  of  moderate  length ;  and  the  body 
and  legs  are  very  long  and  slender.  When  at  rest,  their 
wings  do  not  cover  the  body,  but  stand  out  from  it  on  each 
side,  not  spread  however,  but  folded  together  like  a  fan,  so 
that  only  the  outer  part  of  each  of  the  fore  wings  is  visible. 
They  fly  slowly  and  feebly,  some  of  them  by  day,  and  oth- 
ers only  at  night,  and,  when  on  the  wing,  they  somewhat 
resemble  the  long-legged  gnats.  Their  caterpillars  are 
rather  short  and  thick,  are  clothed  with  a  few  hairs,  and 
have  sixteen  short  legs.  Most  of  them  live  on  the  leaves 
of  low  or  herbaceous  plants,  and,  when  about  to  change  to 
chrysalids,  they  fasten  themselves  by  the  hind  feet  and  by  a 
loop  over  the  back,  like  the  Lycsenians.  Those  which  be- 


FEATHER-WINGED    MOTHS.  511 

long  to  the  genus  Alucita  are  said  to  live  in  buds,  and 
undergo  their  transformations  in  thin,  transparent  cocoons. 
The  number  of  species  in  this  tribe  is  small ;  and  those  that 
are  found  in  this  country  are  so  few,  and  of  so  little  conse- 
quence, in  an  economical  point  of  view,  that  a  particular 
description  of  them  will  not  be  necessary  in  this  treatise. 


CHAPTER     VI. 

HYMENOPTERA. 

STINGERS  AND  PIERCERS.  —  HABITS  OF  SOME  OF  THE  HYMENOPTERA.  —  SAW- 
FLIES  AND  SLUGS.  —  ELM  SAW-FLY. —  FIR  SAW-FLY.  —  VINE  SAW-FLY. — 
ROSE-BUSH  SLUG.  —  PEAR-TREE  SLUG.  —  HORN-TAILED  WOOD- WASPS.  — 
GALL-FLIES.  —  CHALCIDIANS.  —  BARLEY  INSECT  AND  JOINT- WORM. 

BEES,  wasps,  ants,  saw-flies,  and  ichneumon-flies,  of 
many  different  kinds,  together  with  other  insects,  un- 
known by  any  common  names  in  the  English  language, 
belong  to  the  order  HYMENOPTERA.  Their  wings  are  four 
in  number,  are  traversed  by  a  few  branching  veins,  and  are 
more  or  less  transparent,  or  of  a  thin  and  filmy  texture,  as 
expressed  by  the  name  of  the  order,  which  signifies  mem- 
branaceous  wings.  They  fly  swiftly,  and  are  able  to  keep 
on  the  wing  much  longer  than  any  other  insects,  because 
their  bodies  are  light  and  compact,  and  their  wings  very 
thin,  narrow,  and  withal  very  strong.  They  have  four 
nippers  or  jaws  ;  the  upper  pair  being  horny,  stout,  and 
fitted  for  biting  or  cutting ;  the  lower  are  longer  and  softer, 
and,  with  the  lower  lip,  which  they  cover,  form  a  kind  of 
beak  or  sucker.  Their  antennae  vary  in  form  and  length ; 
but  are  most  often  cylindrical,  and  of  equal  thickness  to  the 
end.  The  males  have  no  weapons  of  offence  or  defence 
except  their  jaws.  The  females  are  armed  with  a  venom- 
ous sting,  concealed  within  the  end  of  the  hind  body,  or 
are  provided  with  a  piercer,  of  some  sort,  for  boring  or  saw- 
ing the  holes  wherein  their  eggs  are  deposited.  Hence 
the  insects  of  this  order  may  be  divided  into  two  groups, 
Stingers  and  Piercers.  Though  both  of  them  undergo  a 
complete  transformation  in  coming  to  maturity,  they  differ 
from  each  other  in  the  early  states  of  their  existence. 


STINGERS    AND    PIERCERS.  513 

The  young  of  all  the  stinging  Hymenoptera  are  soft, 
white,  and  maggot-shaped,  and  are  without  legs ;  some  of 
those  of  the  Piercers  have  the  same  form,  but  the  others 
more  nearly  resemble  grubs  and  caterpillars,  having  a  horny 
head,  and  six  jointed  legs,  and  some  of  them  numerous 
fleshy  prop-legs  besides.  The  latter,  when  food  fails  them 
in  one  place,  are  able  to  creep  to  another,  and  can  look  out 
for  themselves  a  proper  place  of  shelter,  wherein  to  go 
through  with  their  transformations.  The  others  are  ex- 
ceedingly helpless,  and  depend  wholly  upon  the  instinctive 
foresight  of  their  parents,  or  the  daily  care  of  attentive 
nurses,  for  their  food  and  habitations.  When  fully  grown, 
nearly  all  of  these  young  insects  spin  oblong  oval  cocoons, 
wherein  they  change  to  chrysalids,  and  finally  to  winged 
insects.  A  few,  however,  never  obtain  wings  in  the  adult 
state ;  but  these  are  mostly  certain  neuter  and  female  ants, 
the  males  of  which  possess  wings.  With  the  exception  of 
the  white  ants,  belonging  to  another  order,  it  is  only 
among  Hymenopterous  insects  that  we  find  certain  indi- 
viduals constantly  barren,  and  hence  called  neuters.  These 
form  the  principal  part  of  those  communities  of  bees,  of 
and  of  ants,  that  unite  in  making  a  habitation  for 
the  \vl:'»le  swarm,  and  in  providing  a  stock  of  provisions 
for  their  own  use,  and  for  that  of  their  helpless  brood ; 
and  nearly  or  quite  all  the  labor  falls  upon  these  industri- 
ous neuters,  whose  care  and  affection  for  the  young,  which 
they  foster  and  shelter,  could  not  be  greater  were  they 
their  own  offspring. 

Hymenopterous  insects  love  the  light  of  the  sun ;  they 
take  wing  only  during  the  daytime,  and  remain  at  rest  in 
the  night,  and  in  dull  and  wet  weather.  They  excel  all 
other  insects  in  the  number  and  variety  of  their  instincts, 
which  are  wonderfully  displayed  in  the  methods  employed 
by  them  in  providing  for  the  comfort  and  the  future  wants 
of  their  offspring.  In  the  introductory  chapter  some  re-, 
marks  have  already  been  made  on  their  habits  and  economy ; 
65 


514  HYMENOPTERA. 

and  the  limits  of  this  work  will  not  allow  me  now  to  enlarge 
upon  them.  I  shall  not,  therefore,  attempt  to  show  how 
admirably  the  Hymenoptera  are  fitted,  in  the  formation  of 
all  their  parts,  for  their  appointed  tasks.  If  any  of  my 
readers  are  curious  to  learn  this,  and  to  witness  for  them- 
selves the  various  arts,  resources,  and  contrivances  resorted 
to  by  these  insects,  let  them  go  abroad  in  the  summer,  and 
watch  them  during  their  labors.  They  will  then  see  the 
saw-fly  making  holes  in  leaves  with  her  double  key-hole 
saws,  and  the  horn-tail  boring  with  her  auger  into  the  solid 
trunks  of  trees ;  —  they  will  not  fail  to  observe  and  admire 
the  untiring  scrutiny  of  the  ichneumon-flies,  those  little  busy- 
bodies,  forever  on  the  alert,  and  prying  into  every  place 
to  find  the  lurking  caterpillar,  grub,  or  maggot,  wherein 
to  thrust  their  eggs ;  —  the  curious  swellings  produced  by 
the  gall-flies,  and  inhabited  by  their  young ;  —  the  clay  cells 
of  the  mud-wasp,  plastered  against  the  walls  of  our  houses, 
each  one  containing  a  single  egg,  together  with  a  large 
number  of  living  spiders,  caught  and  imprisoned  therein 
solely  for  the  use  of  the  little  mason's  young,  which  thus 
have  constantly  before  them  an  ample  supply  of  fresh  pro- 
visions ;  —  the  holes  of  the  stump-wasp,  stored  with  hundreds 
of  horse-flies  for  the  same  purpose ;  —  the  skill  of  the  leaf- 
cutter  bee  in  cutting  out  the  semicircular  pieces  of  leaves 
for  her  patchwork  nest;  —  the  thimble-shaped  cells  of  the 
ground-bee,  hidden,  in  clusters,  under  some  loose  stone  in 
the  fields,  made  of  little  fragments  of  tempered  clay,  and 
stored  with  bee-bread,  the  work  of  many  weeks  for  the 
industrious  laborer;  —  the  waxen  cells  made  by  the  honey- 
bee, without  any  teaching,  upon  purely  mathematical  prin- 
ciples, measured  only  with  her  antennae,  and  wrought  with 
her  jaws  and  tongue;  —  the  water-tight  nests  of  the  hornet 
and  wasp,  natural  paper-makers  from  the  beginning  of  time, 
who  are  not  obliged  to  use  rags  or  ropes  in  the  formation 
of  their  durable  paper  combs,  but  have  applied  to  this  pur- 
pose  fibres  of  wood,  a  material  that  the  art  of  man  has  not 


SAW-FLIES.  515 

yet  been  able  to  manufacture  into  paper ;  —  the  herculean 
labors  of  ants  in  throwing  up  their  hillocks,  or  mining  their 
galleries,  compared  wherewith,  if  the  small  size  of  the  la- 
borers be  taken  into  account,  the  efforts  of  man  in  his  proud- 
est monuments,  his  pyramids  and  his  catacombs,  dwindle 
into  insignificance.  These  are  only  a  few  of  the  objects 
deserving  of  notice  among  the  insects  of  this  order ;  many 
others  might  be  mentioned,  that  would  lead  us  to  observe 
with  what  consummate  skill  these  little  creatures  have  been 
fashioned,  and  how  richly  they  have  been  endowed  with 
instincts  that  never  fail  them  in  providing  for  their  own 
welfare,  and  that  of  their  future  progeny. 

Comparatively  speaking,  there  are  not  many  of  the  Hy- 
menoptera  which  are  actually  or  seriously  injurious  to  vege- 
tation. Those  which  I  propose  now  to  describe  are  not 
provided  with  venomous  stings,  and,  consequently,  are  to 
be  included  among  the  Piercers. 

Such  are  the  saw-flies  (TENTHREDINID^E),  insects  that 
are  found  on  the  leaves  of  plants,  and  live  almost  entirely 
on  vegetable  food.  They  are  the  least  active  of  the  Hymen- 
optera,  are  sluggish  in  their  habits,  fly  heavily  and  but  little, 
and  do  not  attempt  to  escape  when  touched.  Most  of  them 
are  rather  short  and  somewhat  flattened.  They  have  a 
broad  head,  which,  seen  from  above,  appears  transversely 
square.  The  hind  body  is  not  narrowed  to  a  point  where 
it  joins  the  thorax,  but  is  as  broad  as  the  latter,  and  is  closely 
united  to  it.  The  antennae  are  generally  short ;  but  they 
vary  much  in  form;  in  many  species  they  are  thread-like 
and  slightly  tapering ;  in  some,  thickened  or  knobbed  at 
the  end;  more  rarely,  they  end  suddenly  with  a  few  very 
small  joints,  much  more  slender  than  the  rest;  they  are 
feathered  in  some  males,  and  notched  in  the  other  sex ;  and 
sometimes  they  are  forked,  or  divided  into  long  branches. 
Their  wings  cross  and  overlap  each  other,  and  cover  the 
back  horizontally  when  closed.  But  the  most  striking  pe- 
culiarity of  these  insects  consists  in  the  double  saws  where- 


516  HYMENOPTERA. 

with  the  females  are  provided.  These  are  lodged  in  a  deep 
cliink  under  the  hinder  part  of  the  body,  like  the  blade  of 
a  penknife  in  its  handle,  and  are  covered  by  two  narrow, 
scabbard-like  pieces.  The  saws  are  two  in  number,  placed 
side  by  side,  with  their  ends  directed  backwards,  and  are 
so  hinged  to  the  under  side  of  the  body  that  they  can  be 
withdrawn  from  the  chink,  and  moved  up  and  down  when 
in  use.  They  vary  in  their  form,  and  in  the  shape  of  their 
teeth,  in  different  kinds  of  saw-flies ;  but  they  generally 
curve  upwards  and  taper  towards  the  end,  and  are  toothed 
along  the  lower  or  convex  edges.  Each  of  the  saws,  like 
a  carpenter's  fine  saw,  has  a  back  to  steady  it ;  the  blade, 
however,  is  not  fastened  to  the  back,  but  slides  backwards 
and  forwards  upon  it.  Moreover,  the  saw-blade  is  not  only 
toothed  on  the  edge,  but  is  covered,  on  one  side,  with  trans- 
verse rows  of  very  fine  teeth,  giving  to  it  the  power  of  a 
rasp,  as  well  as  that  of  a  saw. 

The  female  saw-flies  use  these  ingeniously  contrived  tools 
to  saw  little  slits  in  the  stems  and  leaves  of  plants,  wherein 
they  afterwards  drop  their  eggs.  Some,  it  appears,  lay 
their  eggs  in  fruits ;  for  Mr.  Westwood  discovered  their 
young  within  apples  that  had  fallen  from  the  trees  before 
they  had  grown  to  the  size  of  walnuts.  The  wounds  made 
in  plants  by  some  kinds  of  saw-flies  swell,  and  produce  galls 
or  knobs,  that  serve  for  habitations  and  for  food  to  their 
young.  The  eggs,  themselves,  of  all  these  flies,  are  found 
to  grow,  and  increase  to  twice  their  former  size  after  they 
are  laid,  probably  by  absorbing  the  sap  of  the  plant  through 
their  thin  shells. 

Most  of  the  larvae  or  young  of  the  saw-flies  strikingly 
resemble  caterpillars,  being  usually  of  a  cylindrical  form, 
of  a  greenish  color,  and  having  several  pairs  of  legs.  Hence 
they  are  sometimes  called  false  caterpillars.  With  the  ex- 
<•'  I'tion  of  such  as  belong  to  the  genera  Lyda  and  Cephm, 
in  which  the  legs  are  only  six,  and  the  prop-legs  are  entirely 
wanting,  these  false  caterpillars  have  a  greater  number  of 


LARVAE    OF    SAW-FLIES.  517 

legs  than  true  caterpillars,  being  provided  with  from  eighteen 
to  twenty-two ;  but  their  prop-legs  have  not  the  numerous 
little  hooks  that  arm  those  of  caterpillars.  They  have  the 
means  of  spinning  silk  from  their  lower  lips,  but  not  often 
in  any  great  quantity.  They  are  mostly  naked  and  without 
hairs ;  a  few  have  forked  prickles  on  their  backs ;  some 
are  covered  with  a  white  flaky  substance,  that  easily  rubs 
off;  and  others  have  a  dark-colored  slimy  skin,  which  has 
caused  them  to  be  called  slugs  or  slug- worms.  They  shed 
their  skins  about  four  times,  and,  after  the  last  moulting, 
often  materially  change  in  appearance.  Not  only  do  these 
insects  resemble  caterpillars  in  their  forms,  but  they  have 
nearly  the  same  habits.  They  are  generally  found  on  the 
leaves  of  plants,  which  they  devour.  Many  kinds  are  al- 
together solitary ;  a  few  live  together  in  swarms,  under  silk- 
en webs,  which  they  spin  for  a  common  place  of  shelter; 
others  are  found  also  in  swarms,  but  without  any  webs  over 
them,  and,  when  disturbed,  they  throw  up  their  heads  and 
tails,  in  a  very  odd  way ;  some  roll  up  leaves,  and  live  in 
the  hollow  thus  formed,  like  the  Tortrices;  others  make 
portable  cases  of  bits  of  leaves,  which  they  carry  about  on 
their  backs,  like  the  Tinese ;  certain  kinds  live  within  the 
stems  of  plants,  and  devour  the  pith ;  and  wheat,  in  Europe, 
is  said  to  suffer  considerable  injury  from  internal  feeders 
(Cephus  pygmceus)  of  this  kind.  When  rally  grown,  most 
of  them  go  into  the  ground,  and  enclose  themselves  in  thin 
silken  cocoons,  of  an  oblong  oval  shape,  coated  with  grains 
of  earth.  Some  make  much  thicker  cocoons,  in  texture 
resembling  parchment,  and  fasten  them  to  the  plants  on 
which  they  live,  or  conceal  them  in  crevices,  or  under  leaves 
and  stones  on  the  ground.  They  generally  remain  for  a 
long  time  unchanged  in  their  cocoons,  most  of  them  during 
the  winter  ;  are  transformed  to  chrysalids,  of  a  whitish  color, 
in  the  spring,  and  come  out  in  the  winged  form  soon  after- 
wards. Of  some  kinds  there  are  two  broods  in  the  course 
of  the  summer,  the  false  caterpillars  of  the  first  brood 


518  HYMENOPTERA. 

coming  to  their  growth,  and  passing  through  all  their  trans- 
formations, within  six  or  seven  weeks  from  their  first  ap- 
pearance. 

The  names  of  above  sixty  native  species  of  saw-flies  may 
be  found  in  my  "  Catalogue  of  the  Insects  of  Massachu- 
setts." Some  of  these  are  very  interesting  in  their  appear- 
ance and  habits  in  the  caterpillar  state.  In  what  follows, 
an  account  will  be  given  of  one  of  the  largest  species,  and 
of  some  smaller  kinds,  that  have  been  found  very  injurious 
to  cultivated  plants. 

Our  largest  saw-fly  belongs  to  the  genus  Cimbex  (Plate 
VIII.  Fig.  12,  Cinibex  Laportei).  This  name  was  origi- 
nally given  by  the  Greeks  to  certain  insects  resembling 
bees  and  wasps,  but  not  producing  honey.  It  therefore 
applies  very  well  to  some  kinds  of  saw-flies,  such  as  the 
female  of  this  species,  which,  at  first  sight,  might  be  mis- 
taken for  a  hornet.  Her  head  and  thorax  are  shining 
black.  Her  hind  body  is  oval,  and  of  a  steel-blue  or  deep 
violet  color,  with  three  or  four  oval  yellowish  spots  on  each 
side.  Her  antennae  are  buff-colored,  except  at  the  base, 
where  they  are  dusky ;  they  are  short,  and  end  with  an 
egg-shaped  knob.  Her  wings  are  smoky  brown,  and  semi- 
transparent.  Her  legs  are  blue-black,  and  her  feet  pale 
yellow.  The  length  of  her  body  varies  from  three  quar- 
ters to  seven  eighths  of  an  inch,  and  her  wings  expand  an 
inch  and  three  quarters  or  more.  In  the  manuscript  lec- 
tures of  the  late  Professor  Peck,  she  is  called  Cimbex  Ulmi, 
because  she  inhabits  the  elm.  The  male  is  the  Cimbex 
Americana  of  Dr.  Leach,  and  differs  so  much  from  the 
female,  that  it  might  be  taken  for  a  different  species.  His 
body  is  longer  and  narrower  than  that  of  the  female,  and 
wants  the  white  spots  on  the  sides;  and  there  is  a  trans- 
verse, oval  hole,  filled  with  a  whitish  film,  behind  the  tho- 
rax, which  is  hardly  perceptible  in  the  other  sex.  His 
hind  legs  are  very  thick;  the  shins  are  bowed,  and  hairy 
within;  and  the  first  joint  of  his  feet  ends  with  a  stout 


THE    ELM    SAW-FLY.  519 

hook,   curved    inwards.      He    often    measures   an   inch  in 
length,  and  his  wings  expand  about  two  inches. 

These  insects  appear  from  the  latter  part  of  May  to  the 
middle  of  June,  during  which  period  the  female  lays  her 
eggs  upon  the  common  American  elm, 
the  leaves  whereof  are  the  food  of  her 
young.  (Fig.  243,  larva.)  The  latter 
come  to  their  growth  in  August,  and 
then  measure  from  one  inch  and  a  half 
to  two  inches  in  length.  They  are 
rather  thick,  and  nearly  cylindrical  in 
form,  and  have  twenty-two  legs,  or  a  pair  to  every  ring 
except  the  fourth.  They  have  a  firm,  rough  skin,  of  a 
pale  greenish  yellow  color,  covered  with  numerous  trans- 
verse wrinkles,  with  a  black  stripe,  consisting  of  two  nar- 
row black  lines,  along  the  top  of  the  back,  from  the  head 
to  the  tail;  and  their  spiracles,  or  breathing-holes,  are  also 
black.  When  at  rest,  they  lie  on  their  sides,  curled  up 
in  a  spiral  form,  and  in  this  position  look  not  much  unlike 
some  kinds  of  cockle  or  snail  shells. 

Like  all  the  false  caterpillars  of  the  genus  Cimbex,  this 
insect,  when  handled  or  disturbed,  betrays  its  fears  or  its 
displeasure  by  spirting  out  a  watery  fluid  from  certain  little 
pores  situated  on  the  sides  of  its  body  just  above  its  spira- 
cles. After  its  feeding  state  is  over,  it  crawls  down  from 
the  tree  to  the  ground,  and  conceals  itself  under  fallen 
leaves  or  other  rubbish,  and  there  makes  an  oblong  oval, 
brown  cocoon  (Plate  VIII.  Fig.  11),  very  closely  woven, 
as  tough  as  parchment,  and  about  an  inch  in  length.  In 
this  the  false  caterpillar  remains  unchanged  throughout 
the  winter,  ^and.  is  not  transformed  to  a  chrysalis  till  the 
following  spring.  At  length  the  insect  bursts  its  chrysalis 
skin,  and,  by  pushing  against  the  end  of  its  cocoon,  forces 
off  a  little  circular  piece  like  a  lid,  and  through  the  open- 
mo;  thus  made  it  comes  forth  in  its  winged  form. 

o  o 

For  some  years  past  many  of  the  fir-trees,  cultivated  for 


520  HYMENOPTERA. 

ornament,  in  this  vicinity,  have  been  attacked  by  swarms 
of  false  caterpillars,  and,  in  some  instances  that  have  fallen 
under  my  notice,  have  been  nearly  stripped  of  their  leaves 
every  summer,  and  in  consequence  thereof  have  been  checked 
in  their  growth,  and  now  seem  to  be  in  a  sickly  condition. 
These  destructive  insects  agree  in  their  habits  and  in  their 
general  appearance,  in  all  their  states,  with  the  pine  and 
fir  saw-flies,  described  by  Kollar,*  by  whose  ravages  whole 
forests  of  these  trees  have  been  destroyed  in  some  parts 
of  Germany.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  the  American 
fir  saw-flies  are  not  identical  with  those  of  Europe,  as  they 
differ  from  them  rather  too  much  to  have  originated  from 
the  same  stock ;  neither  do  they  sufficiently  agree  with  Dr. 
Leach's  descriptions  of  Lophyrus  Americanus,  Abbotii,  corn- 
par^  &c. ;  and  therefore  I  propose  to  name  this  apparently 
undescribed  species  Lophyrus  Abietis,  the  Lophyrus  of  the 
fir-tree. 

The  following  is  a  description  of  the  insect  in  its  winged 
state.  The  two  sexes  differ  very  much  from  each  other 
in  size  and  color,  and  still  more  remarkably  in  the  form 
of  their  antennae.  The  male  (Plate  VIII.  Fig.  3)  is  the 
smallest,  measures  one  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length,  and 
expands  his  wings  about  two  fifths  of  an  inch.  His  body 
is  black  above,  and  brown  beneath ;  his  wings  are  trans- 
parent, with  changeable  tints  of  rose-red,  green,  and  yel- 
low ;  and  his  legs  are  wholly  of  a  dirty  leather-yellow  color. 
His  antennas  (Plate  VIII.  Fig.  4,  magnified)  resemble  very 
short,  black  feathers,  wide  at  the  end,  and  narrowed  to  a 
point,  and  are  curled  inwards  on  each  edge,  so  as  to  appear 
hollow.  The  genus  Lophyrus  derives  its  name  from  the 
plume-like  crest  on  the  heads  of  the  male  insects.  The 
body  of  the  female  (Plate  VIII.  Fig.  5)  is  about  three 
tenths  of  an  inch  long,  and  her  wings  expand  half  an  inch 
or  more.  She  is  of  a  yellowish-brown  color  above,  with 
a  short  blackish  stripe  on  each  side  of  the  middle  of  the 

*  Treatise,  pp.  340  and  347. 


THE    EUROPEAN    PINE    SAW-FLIES.  521 

thorax;  her  body  beneath  and  her  legs  are  paler,  of  a 
dirty  leather-yellow  color ;  and  her  wings  resemble  those 
of  the  male.  Her  antennae  are  short,  taper  to  a  point, 
consist  of  nineteen  joints,  and  are  toothed  on  one  side  like 
a  saw.  My  specimens  of  this  kind  of  saw-fly,  which  were 
raised  from  the  caterpillars  in  the  summer  of  1838,  came 
out  of  their  cocoons  towards  the  end  of  July  in  the  same 
year;  but  I  have  also  found  them  on  pines  and  firs  early 
in  May. 

The  European  pine  saw-flies  lay  their  eggs  in  slits  which 
they  make  with  their  saws  in  the  edges  of  the  leaves ;  and 
it  is  probable  that  our  fir  saw-flies  proceed  in  the  same  way. 
In  June  and  July  the  false  caterpillars  of  the  latter  may 
be  found  on  firs ;  and,  according  to  notes  made  by  me 
many  years  ago,  the  same  insects,  or  some  very  much  like 
them,  were  observed  on  the  leaves  of  the  pitch-pine  also. 
They  are  social  in  their  habits,  living  together  in  consid- 
erable swarms,  and  so  thick  that  sometimes  two  may  be 
seen  feeding  together  on  the  same  leaf,  and  sitting  opposite 
to  each  other.  In  order  to  lay  hold  of  the  leaf  more  firmly, 
they  curl  the  hinder  part  of  the  body  around  it;  and,  if 
they  are  disturbed,  they  throw  up  their  heads  and  tails 
with  a  jerking  motion.  When  fully  grown,  they  are  from 
five  to  six  tenths  of  an  inch  in  length;  they  are  nearly 
cylindrical  in  form,  thickest  before  the  middle,  and  tapering 
behind,  and  have  twenty-two  legs.  The  head  and  the  first 
three  pairs  of  legs  are  black.  The  body  is  of  a  pale  and 
dirty  green  color  above,  with  a  light  stripe  along  the  top 
of  the  back,  separating  two  of  a  darker-green  color;  there 
are  two  dark  green  stripes  on  each  side  of  the  body;  and 
the  belly  and  prop-legs  are  yellowish.  When  young,  the 
two  stripes  on  the  back  are  much  darker,  and  those  on 
the  sides  are  nearly  black.  The  skin,  though  covered  with 
very  fine  transverse  wrinkles,  is  not  rough,  and  with  a 
magnifying-glass  a  few  short  hairs  may  be  seen  scattered 
over  it.  After  the  last  moulting  their  color  fades,  and  they 
66 


522  HYMENOPTERA. 

become  almost  yellow.  The  greater  part  of  them  then  sud- 
denly leave  the  trees,  either  by  travelling  down  the  trunks, 
or  by  falling  from  the  branches  to  the  ground.  A  few, 
either  from  weakness  or  from  some  other  cause,  remain  on 
the  trees,  make  their  cocoons  among  the  leaves,  and  rarely 
finish  their  transformations,  most  of  them  perishing  from 
the  internal  attacks  of  ichneumon-grubs.  Some  creep  into 
cracks  in  fences,  and  into  other  crevices ;  but  most  of  those 
which  reach  the  ground  bury  themselves  under  decayed 
leaves,  or  among  the  roots  of  the  grass,  and  in  such  secure 
places  make  their  cocoons.  The  latter  are  oblong  oval 
cases,  of  tough  grayish  silk,  and  measure  nearly  three  tenths 
of  an  inch  in  length.  In  due  time  the  insects  change  to 
saw-flies,  and  come  out  of  their  cocoons,  one  end  whereof 
separates,  like  a  lid,  to  allow  of  their  escape.  Although 
some  of  them  are  found  to  finish  their  transformations  in 
August,  it  is  probable  that  the  greater  part  of  them  remain 
unchanged  in  the  ground  till  the  following  spring. 

No  means  for  the  destruction  of  the  caterpillars  of  the 
fir  saw-fly  have  been  tried  here,  except  showering  them 
with  soapsuds,  and  with  solutions  of  whale-oil  soap,  which 
has  been  found  effectual.  They  may  also  be  shaken  off  or 
beaten  from  the  trees,  early  in  the  morning,  when  they 
are  torpid  and  easily  fall,  and  may  be  collected  in  sheets, 
and  be  burned  or  given  to  swine.  For  other  means  to 
check  their  depredations,  the  reader  may  consult  the  arti- 
cles on  the  pine  and  fir  saw-flies  of  Europe,  contained  in 
Kollar's  "Treatise." 

The  following  account  of  a  kind  of  saw-fly  which  at- 
tacks the  grape-vine  is  chiefly  extracted  from  my  Discourse 
before  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  in  1832, 
where  the  insect  is  named  Selandria  Vttis.  The  saw-fly 
of  the  vine  is  of  a  jet-black  color,  except  the  upper  side 
of  the  thorax,  which  is  red,  and  the  fore  legs  and  under 
ride  of  the  other  legs,  which  are  pale  yellow  or  whitish. 
The  wings  are  semitransparent,  of  a  smoky  color,  with 


THE    VINE    SAW-FLY.  523 

dark  brown   veins.      The  body  of  the  female   (Fig.  244) 

measures  one  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length,  that 

of  the  male  is  somewhat   shorter.     These  flies 

rise  from  the  ground  in  the  spring,  not  all  at 

one   time,   but  at  irregular   intervals,    and   lay 

their  eggs  on  the  lower  side  of  the  terminal  leaves  of  the 

vine. 

In  the  month  of  July  the  false  caterpillars,  hatched 
from  these  eggs,  may  be  seen  on  the  leaves,  in  little 
swarms,  of  various  ages,  some  very  small,  and  others  fully 
grown.  They  feed  in  company,  side  by  side,  beneath  the 
leaves,  each  swarm  or  fraternity  consisting  of  a  dozen  or 
more  individuals,  and  they  preserve  their  ranks  with  a 
surprising  degree  of  regularity.  Beginning  at  the  edge 
they  eat  the  whole  of  the  leaf  to  the  stalk,  and  then  go  to 
another,  which  in  like  manner  they  devour,  and  thus  pro- 
ceed, from  leaf  to  leaf,  down  the  branch,  till  they  have 
grown  to  their  full  size.  They  then  average  five  eighths 
of  an  inch  in  length,  are  somewhat  slender  and  tapering 
behind,  and  thickest  before  the  middle.  They  have  twenty- 
two  legs.  The  head  and  the  tip  of  the  tail  are  black ;  the 
body,  above,  is  light  green,  paler  before  and  behind,  with 
two  transverse  rows  of  minute  black  points  across  each 
ring ;  and  the  lower  side  of  the  body  is  yellowish.  After 
their  last  moulting  they  become  almost  entirely  yellow,  and 
then  leave  the  vine,  burrow  in  the  ground,  and  form  for 
themselves  small  oval  cells  of  earth,  which  they  line  with 
a  slight  silken  film.  In  about  a  fortnight  after  going  into 
the  ground,  having  in  the  mean  time  passed  through  the 
chrysalis  state,  they  come  out  of  their  earthen  cells,  take 
wing,  pair,  and  lay  their  eggs  for  a  second  brood.  The 
young  of  the  second  brood  are  not  transformed  to  flies  until 
the  following  spring,  but  remain  at  rest  in  their  cocoons  in 
the  ground  through  the  winter. 

For  some  years  previous  to  the  publication  of  my  Dis- 
course,   I   observed    that   these   insects   annually  increased 


HYMENOPTERA. 

in  number,  and  in  the  year  1832  they  had  become  so 
numerous  and  destructive  that  many  vines  were  entirely 
stripped  of  their  leaves  by  them.  Whether  the  remedies 
then  proposed  by  me,  or  any  other  means,  have  tended  to 
diminish  their  numbers,  or  to  keep  them  in  check,  I  have 
not  been  able  to  ascertain,  and  have  had  no  further  oppor- 
tunity for  making  observations  on  the  insects  themselves. 
At  that  time,  air-slacked  lime,  which  was  found  to  be  fatal 
to  these  false  caterpillars  of  the  vine,  was  advised  to  be 
dusted  upon  them,  and  strewed  also  upon  the  ground  un- 
der the  vines,  to  insure  the  destruction  of  such  of  the  in- 
sects as  might  fall.  A  solution  of  one  pound  of  common 
hard  soap  in  five  or  six  gallons  of  soft  water  is  used  by 
English  gardeners  to  destroy  the  young  of  the  gooseberry 
saw-fly ;  and  the  same  was  recommended  to  be  tried  upon 
the  insects  under  consideration. 

All  the  young  of  the  saw-flies  do  not  so  closely  resemble 
caterpillars  as  the  preceding ;  some  of  them,  as  has  already 
been  stated,  have  the  form  of  slugs  or  naked  snails.  Of 
this  description  is  the  kind  called  the  slug-worm  in  this 
country,  and  the  slimy  grub  of  the  pear-tree  in  Europe. 
So  different  are  these  from  the  other  false  caterpillars,  that 
they  would  not  be  suspected  to  belong  to  the  same  family. 
Their  relationship  becomes  evident,  however,  when  they 
have  finished  their  transformations ;  and  accordingly  we 
find  that  the  saw-flies  of  our  slug-worms  and  those  of  the 
vine  are  so  much  alike  in  form  and  structure,  that  they 
are  both  included  in  the  same  genus.  Moreover,  there  are 
certain  false  caterpillars  intermediate  in  their  forms  and 
appearance  between  the  slimy  and  slug-like  kinds  and  those 
that  more  nearly  resemble  the  true  caterpillars ;  thus  admi- 
rably illustrating  the  truth  of  the  remark,  that  nature  pro- 
ceeds not  with  abrupt  or  unequal  steps  ;  *  or,  in  other  words, 
that,  amidst  the  immense  variety  of  living  forms  wherewith 
this  earth  has  been  peopled,  there  is  a  regular  gradation 
"  Natora  saltus  non  facit."  —  Linnaeus,  Syst.  Nat,  1. 11. 


THE    ROSE    SAW-FLY.  525 

and  connection,  which  in  particular  cases  if  we  fail  to  dis- 
cover, it  is  rather  to  be  attributed  to  our  own  ignorance  and 
short-sightedness  than  to  any  want  of  harmony  and  regu- 
larity in  the  plan  of  the  Creator.  In  considering  the  resem- 
blances of  species,  we  cannot  fail  to  admire  the  care  that 
has  been  taken,  by  almost  insensible  shades  of  difference 
among  them,  or  by  peculiar  circumstances  controlling  their 
distribution,  their  habits  of  life,  and  their  choice  of  food, 
to  prevent  them  from  commingling,  whereby  each  species 
is  made  to  preserve  forever  its  individual  identity. 

The  saw-fly  of  the  rose,  which,  as  it  does  not  seem  to 
have  been  described  before,  may  be 
called  Selandria  Eosce  (Fig.  245),  from 
its  favorite  plant,  so  nearly  resembles 
the  slug-worm  saw-fly  as  not  to  be 
distinguished  therefrom  except  by  a 
practised  observer.  It  is  also  very 
much  like  Selandria  barda,  Vitis,  and  pygmcea,  but  has  not 
the  red  thorax  of  these  three  closely  allied  species.  It  is 
of  a  deep  and  shining  black  color.  The  first  two  pairs 
of  legs  are  brownish-gray  or  dirty  white,  except  the  thighs, 
which  are  almost  entirely  black.  The  hind  legs  are  black, 
with  whitish  knees.  The  wings  are  smoky,  and  transparent, 
with  dark  brown  veins,  and  a  brown  spot  near  the  middle 
of  the  edge  of  the  first  pair.  The  body  of  the  male  is  a 
little  more  than  three  twentieths  of  an  inch  long,  that  of 
the  female  one  fifth  of  an  inch  or  more,  and  the  wings 
expand  nearly  or  quite  two  fifths  of  an  inch.  These  saw- 
flies  come  out  of  the  ground,  at  various  tunes,  between 
the  20th  of  May  and  the  middle  of  June,  during  which 
period  they  pair  and  lay  their  eggs.  The  females  do  not 
fly  much,  and  may  be  seen,  during  most  of  the  day,  resting 
on  the  leaves,  and,  when  touched,  they  draw  up  their  legs, 
and  fall  to  the  ground.  The  males  are  more  active,  fly 
from  one  rose-bush  to  another,  and  hover  around  their 
sluggish  partners.  The  latter,  when  about  to  lay  their 


:.-2>\  HYMENOPTERA. 

eggs,  turn  a  little  on  one  side,  unsheathe  their  saws,  and 
thrust  them  obliquely  into  the  skin  of  the  leaf,  depositing, 
in  each  incision  thus  made,  a  single  egg.  The 
young  (Fig.  246)  begin  to  hatch  in  ten  days 
4HHIt+  or  a  fortnight  after  the  eggs  are  laid.  They 
may  sometimes  be  found  on  the  leaves  as  early  as  the  first 
of  June,  but  do  not  usually  appear  in  considerable  numbers 
till  the  20th  of  the  same  month.  How  long  they  are  in 
coming  to  maturity,  I  have  not  particularly  observed;  but 
the  period  of  their  existence  in  the  caterpillar  state  probably 
does  not  exceed  three  weeks.  They  somewhat  resemble 
young  slug-worms  in  form,  but  are  not  quite  so  convex. 
They  have  a  small,  round,  yellowish  head,  with  a  black 
dot  on  each  side  of  it,  and  are  provided  with  twenty-two 
short  legs.  The  body  is  green  above,  paler  at  the  sides, 
and  yellowish  beneath ;  and  it  is  soft,  and  almost  trans- 
parent, like  jelly.  The  skin  of  the  back  is  transversely 
wrinkled,  and  covered  with  minute  elevated  points ;  and 
there  are  two  small,  triple-pointed  warts  on  the  edge  of  the 
first  ring,  immediately  behind  the  head. 

These  gelatinous  and  sluggish  creatures  eat  the  upper 
surface  of  the  leaf  in  large  irregular  patches,  leaving  the 
veins  and  the  skin,  beneath,  untouched ;  and  they  are  some- 
times so  thick  that  not  a  leaf  on  the  bushes  is  spared  by 
them,  and  the  whole  foliage  looks  as  if  it  had  been  scorched 
by  fire,  and  drops  off  soon  afterwards.  They  cast  their 
skins  several  times,  leaving  them  extended  and  fastened  on 
the  leaves ;  after  the  last  moulting  they  lose  their  seiriitrans- 
parent  and  greenish  color,  and  acquire  an  opaque  yellowish 
hue.  They  then  leave  the  rose-bushes,  some  of  them  slowly 
creeping  down  the  stem,  and  others  rolling  up  and  dropping 
off,  especially  when  the  bushes  are  shaken  by  the  wind. 
Having  reached  the  ground,  they  burrow  to  the 
depth  of  an  inch  or  more  in  the  earth,  where 
each  one  makes  for  itself  a  small  oval  cell  (Fig. 
247),  of  grains  of  earth,  cemented  with  a  little  gummy  silk. 


THE    ROSE    SAW-FLY.  .   527 

Having  finished  their  transformations,  and  turned  to  flies, 
within  their  cells,  they  come  out  of  the  ground  early  in  Au- 
gust, and  lay  their  eggs  for  a  second  brood  of  young.  These, 
in  turn,  perform  their  appointed  work  of  destruction  in  the 
autumn ;  they  then  go  into  the  ground,  make  their  earthen 
cells,  remain  therein  throughout  the  winter,  and  appear,  in 
the  winged  form,  in  the  following  spring  and  summer. 

During  several  years  past,  these  pernicious  vermin  have 
infested  the  rose-bushes  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  and  have 
proved  so  injurious  to  them  as  to  have  excited  the  attention 
of  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  by  whom  a  pre- 
mium of  one  hundred  dollars  for  the  most  successful  mode 
of  destroying  these  insects  was  offered,  in  the  summer  of 
1840.  In  the  year  1832,  I  first  observed  them  in  gardens 
in  Cambridge,  and  then  made  myself  acquainted  with  their 
transformations.  At  that  time  they  had  not  reached  Milton, 
my  former  place  of  residence,  and  they  did  not  appear  in 
that  place  till  six  or  seven  years  later.  They  now  seem 
to  be  gradually  extending  in  all  directions,  and  an  effectual 
method  for  preserving  our  roses  from  their  attacks  has  be- 
come very  desirable  to  all  persons  who  set  any  value  on 
this  beautiful  ornament  of  our  gardens  and  shrubberies. 
Showering  or  syringing  the  bushes  with  a  liquor  made  by 
mixing  with  water  the  juice  expressed  from  tobacco  by 
tobacconists,  has  been  recommended ;  but  some  caution  is 
necessary  in  making  this  mixture  of  a  proper  strength,  for 
if  too  strong  it  is  injurious  to  plants ;  and  the  experiment 
does  not  seem,  as  yet,  to  have  been  conducted  with  sufficient 
care  to  insure  safety  and  success.  Dusting  lime  over  the 
plants  when  wet  with  dew  has  been  tried,  and  found  of 
some  use ;  but  this  and  all  other  remedies  will  probably 
yield  in  efficacy  to  Mr.  Haggerston's  mixture  of  whale-oil 
soap  and  water,  in  the  proportion  of  two  pounds  of  the  soap 
to  fifteen  gaUons  of  water. 

Particular  directions,  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Haggerston  him- 
self, for  the  preparation  and  use  of  this  simple  and  cheap 


528  .  HYMENOPTERA. 

application,  may  be  found  in  the  "Boston  Courier"  for 
the  25th  of  June,  1841,  and  also  in  most  of  our  agricultural 
and  horticultural  journals  of  the  same  time.  The  utility  of 
this  mixture  has  already  been  repeatedly  mentioned  in  this 
treatise,  and  it  may  be  applied  in  other  cases  with  advantage. 
Mr.  Haggerston  finds  that  it  effectually  destroys  many  kinds 
of  insects ;  and  he  particularly  mentions  plant-lice,  red  spi- 
ders,  canker-worms,  and  a  little  jumping  insect  which  has 
lately  been  found  quite  as  hurtful  to  rose-bushes  as  the  slugs 
or  young  of  the  saw-fly.  The  little  insect  alluded  to  has 
been  mistaken  for  a  Thrips  or  vine-fretter ;  it  is,  however  a 
leaf-hopper,  or  species  of  Tettigonia,  and  is  described  in  a 
former  part  of  this  treatise. 

According  to  the  plan  to  which  I  have  found  it  necessary 
to  limit  this  work,  only  one  more  species  of  saw-fly  remains 
to  be  described.  Of  the  habits  and  transformations  of  this 
insect  the  late  Professor  Peck  has  given  us  an  admirable 
account,  under  the  tide  of  a  "  Natural  History  of  the  Slug- 
Worm,"  which  was  printed  in  Boston,  in  the  year  1799,  by 
order  of  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Society,  and  ob- 
tained the  Society's  premium  of  fifty  dollars  and  a  gold 
medal.  As  my  own  observations  on  this  insect  agree  per- 
fectly with  those  of  Professor  Peck,  in  the  following  remarks 
I  have  merely  abridged  and  condensed  his  "  Natural  History 
of  the  Slug-Worm,"  a  work  now  out  of  print,  and  rarely 
to  be  met  with.  It  will  be  proper  to  premise  that  Professor 
Peck  was  inclined  to  believe  this  slug-fly  to  be  a  variety  of 
the  Tenthredo  Cerasi  of  Linnaeus,  an  insect  found  more  com- 
monly on  the  pear-tree  in  Europe  than  on  the  cherry,  al- 
though it  has  a  specific  name  derived  from  the  latter  tree. 

Most  naturalists  now  reject  the  name  given  by  Linnaeus 
to  the  slimy  grub  of  the  pear-tree,  because  it  is  not  strictly 
correct,  and  substitute  a  specific  name  imposed  upon  it  by 
Fabricius.  The  European  insect,  therefore,  is  now  called 
Sdandria  (Blennocampa)  ^Ethiops ;  and  a  good  account  of 
it,  by  Mr.  Westwood,  may  be  found  in  the  thirteenth  volume 


THE    PEAR-TREE    SLUG.  529 

of  "  The  Gardener's  Magazine."  It  is  possible  that  our 
slug-fly  may  have  been  imported  from  Europe,  and  it  may 
turn  out  to  be  really  a  mere  variety  of  the  European  insect. 
Professor  Peck  was  aware  that  it  did  not  agree  with  the 
description  given  by  Linnaeus  of  the  latter ;  and  it  appears 
to  me  that  the  difference  between  the  two  insects,  in  their 
winged  state,  is  enough  to  entitle  them  to  be  considered  as 
specifically  distinct  from  each  other.  For  this  reason  I  shall 
retain  for  our  insect  the  specific  name  adopted  by  Professor 
Peck,  because  this  slug  does  really  live  upon  the  cherry,  in 
this  country,  as  well  as  on  the  pear-tree  ;  and  shall  merely 
prefix  to  it  the  generical  name  which  it  should  bear  accord- 
ing to  modern  nomenclature.  The  fly  of  our  slug- worm 
may  therefore  be  called  Selandria  {Blennocampa)  Cerasi. 
The  meaning  of  the  word  Selandria  is  unknown  to  me. 
Blennocampa  signifies  slimy  caterpillar,  a  name  which,  it 
will  be  seen,  may  be  applied  with  great  propriety  to  our 
slug- worm. 

This  slug-fly  is  of  a  glossy  black  color,  except  the  first 
two  pairs  of  legs,  which  are  dirty  yellow  or  clay-colored, 
with  blackish  thighs,  and  the  hind  legs,  which  are  dull 
black,  with  clay-colored  knees.  The  wings  are  somewhat 
convex  and  rumpled  or  uneven  on  the  upper  side,  like  the 
wings  of  the  saw-flies  generally.  They  are  transparent, 
reflecting  the  changeable  colors  of  the  rainbow,  and  have 
a  smoky  tinge,  forming  a  cloud  or  broad  band  across  the 
middle  of  the  first  pair ;  the  veins  are 
brownish.  The  body  of  the  female  (Fig. 
248)  measures  rather  more  than  one  fifth 
of  an  inch  in  length ;  that  of  the  male  is 
smaller.  In  the  year  1828,  I  observed 
these  saw-flies,  on  cherry  and  plum  trees,  in  Milton,  on 
the  10th  of  May ;  but  they  usually  appear  towards  the  end 
of  May  or  early  in  June.  Soon  afterwards  some  of  them 
begin  to  lay  their  eggs,  and  all  of  them  finish  this  business 
and  disappear  within  the  space  of  three  weeks.  Their  eggs 

67 


530  HYMENOPTERA. 

are  placed,  singly,  within  little  semicircular  incisions  through 

the  skin  of  the  leaf,  and  generally  on  the  lower  side  of  it. 

The  flies  have  not  the  timidity  of  many  other  insects,  and 

are  not  easily  disturbed  while  laying  their  eggs.     On  the 

fourteenth  day  afterwards,  the  eggs  begin  to  hatch, 

and  the  young  slug-worms  (Fig.  249)  continue 

to  come  forth  from  the  5th  of  June  to  the  20th 

of  July,  according  as  the  flies  have  appeared  early  or  late 

in  the  spring. 

At  first  the  slugs  are  white ;  but  a  slimy  matter  soon 
oozes  out  of  their  skin  and  covers  their  backs  with  an  olive- 
colored  sticky  coat.  They  have  twenty  very  short  legs,  or 
a  pair  under  each  segment  of  the  body  except  the  fourth 
and  the  last.  The  largest  slugs  are  about  nine  twentieths 
of  an  inch  in  length,  when  fully  grown.  The  head,  of  a 
dark  chestnut  color,  is  small,  and  is  entirely  concealed  under 
the  fore  part  of  the  body.  They  are  largest  before,  and 
taper  behind,  and  in  form  somewhat  resemble  minute  tad- 
poles. They  have  the  faculty  of  swelling  out  the  fore  part 
of  the  body,  and  generally  rest  with  the  tail  a  little  turned 
up.  These  disgusting  slugs  live  mostly  on  the  upper  side 
of  the  leaves  of  the  pear  and  cherry  trees,  and  eat  away 
the  substance  thereof,  leaving  only  the  veins  and  the  skin 
beneath  untouched.  Sometimes  twenty  or  thirty  of  them 
may  be  seen  on  a  single  leaf;  and  in  the  year  1797  they 
were  so  abundant,  in  some  parts  of  Massachusetts,  that 
small  trees  were  covered  with  them,  and  the  foliage  en- 

O 

tirely  destroyed ;  and  even  the  air,  by  passing  through  the 
trees,  became  charged  with  a  very  disagreeable  and  sick- 
ening odor,  given  out  by  these  slimy  creatures.  The  trees 
attacked  by  them  are  forced  to  throw  out  new  leaves,  dur- 
ing the  heat  of  the  summer,  at  the  ends  of  the  twigs  and 
branches  that  still  remain  alive;  and  this  unseasonable  fo- 
liage, which  should  not  have  appeared  till  the  next  spring, 

exhausts  the  vigor  of  the  trees,  and  cuts  off  the  prospect 

/•<>•,  *      * 

of  fruit. 


THE    PEAR-TREE    SLUG.  531 

The  slug-worms  come  to  their  growth  in  twenty-six  days, 
during  which  period  they  cast  their  skins  five  times.  Fre- 
quently, as  soon  as  the  skin  is  shed,  they  are  seen  feeding 
upon  it ;  but  they  never  touch  the  last  coat,  wliich  remains 
stretched  out  upon  the  leaf.  After  this  is  cast  off,  they 
no  longer  retain  their  slimy  appearance  and  olive  color, 
but  have  a  clean  yellow  skin,  entirely  free  from  viscidity. 
They  change  also  in  form,  and  become  proportionally  longer; 
and  their  head  and  the  marks  between  the  rings  are  plainly 
to  be  seen.  In  a  few  hours  after  this  change,  they  leave 
the  trees,  and,  having  crept  or  fallen  to  the  ground,  they 
burrow  to  the  depth  of  from  one  inch  to  three  or  four 
inches,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  soil.  By  moving 
their  body,  the  earth  around  them  becomes  pressed  equally 
on  all  sides,  and  an  oblong  oval  cavity  is  thus  formed,  and 
is  afterwards  lined  with  a  sticky  and  glossy  substance,  to 
which  the  grains  of  earth  closely  adhere.  Within  these 
little  earthen  cells  or  cocoons  the  change  to  chrysalids 
takes  place ;  and,  in  sixteen  days  after  the  descent  of  the 
slug-worms,  they  finish  their  transformations,  break  open 
their  cells,  and  crawl  to  the  surface  of  the  ground,  where 
they  appear  in  the  fly  form.  These  flies  usually  come  forth 
between  the  middle  of  July  and  the  first  of  August,  and 
lay  their  eggs  for  a  second  brood  of  slug-worms.  The 
latter  come  to  their  growth,  and  go  into  the  ground,  in 
September  and  October,  and  remain  there  till  the  following 
spring,  when  they  are  changed  to  flies,  and  leave  their 
winter  quarters.  It  seems  that  all  of  them,  however,  do 
not  finish  their  transformations  at  this  time ;  some  are  found 
to  remain  unchanged  in  the  ground  till  the  following  year ; 
so  that,  if  all  the  slugs  of  the  last  hatch  in  any  one  year 
should  happen  to  be  destroyed,  enough  from  a  former  brood 
would  still  remain  in  the  earth  to  continue  the  species. 

The  disgusting  appearance  and  smell  of  these  slug-worms 
do  not  protect  them  from  the  attacks  of  various  enemies. 
Mice  and  other  burrowing  animals  destroy  many  of  them 

67* 


HYMENOPTERA. 

in  their  cocoons,  and  it  is  probable  that  birds  also  prey 
upon  them  when  on  the  trees,  both  in  the  slug  and  the 
winded  states.  Professor  Peck  has  described  a  minute  ich- 

O 

neumon-fly,  stated  by  Mr.  Westwood  to  be  a  species  of 
Encyrtus,  that  stings  the  eggs  of  the  slug-fly,  and  deposits 
in  each  one  a  single  egg  of  her  own.  From  this,  in  due 
time,  a  little  maggot  is  hatched,  which  lives  in  the  shell  of 
the  slug-fly's  egg,  devours  the  contents,  and  afterwards  is 
changed  to  a  chrysalis,  and  then  to  a  fly  like  its  parent. 
Professor  Peck  found  that  great  numbers  of  the  eggs  of 
the  slug-fly,  especially  of  the  second  hatch,  were  rendered 
abortive  by  this  atom  of  existence. 

Ashes  or  quicklime,  sifted  on  the  trees  by  means  of  a 
sieve  fastened  to  the  end  of  a  pole,  was  recommended,  by 
the  late  Hon.  John  Lowell,  of  Roxbury,  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  slugs ;  and  it  is  found  to  answer  the  purpose. 
It  is  probable  that  Mr.  Haggerston's  almost  universal  rem- 
edy may  prove  to  be  still  more  effectual. 

The  saw-flies,  though  undoubtedly  belonging  to  the  order 
Hymenoptera,  depart  from  the  general  characters  thereof 
more  than  any  other  insects  in  it.  They  are  more  dull 
and  heavy  in  all  their  motions ;  they  have  not  the  power- 
ful jaws  of  the  predaceous  tribes,  nor  the  long  and  slender 
lower  jaws  and  tongue  of  those  that  subsist  upon  honey. 
They  live  but  a  short  time,  and  their  food  appears  to  be 
pollen,  the  tender  parts  of  leaves,  and  sometimes  the  plant- 
lice  and  other  soft-bodied  insects  frequenting  flowers.  In 
the  stiffness  of  their  upper  wings,  and  the  heaviness  of 
their  flight,  they  somewhat  resemble  beetles,  and,  analogi- 
cally, may  be  said  to  typify  the  Coleoptera,  or,  in  other 
words,  they  may  be  called  the  beetles  of  the  Hymenop- 
tera. They  will  be  found,  on  comparison,  to  have  some 
features  in  common  with  the  crickets,  which,  with  the  ear- 
wigs, are  also  the  representatives  of  the  Coleoptera.  Al- 
though they  differ  essentially  from  butterflies  and  moths, 
the  resemblance  of  most  of  their  young  to  caterpillars,  in 


HORN-TAILS.  533 

form  and  in  habits,  is  very  striking  and  remarkable.  Hence 
the  saw-flies  plainly  show  the  relation  existing  between  the 
orders  Lepidoptera  and  Hymenoptera,  and  serve  closely  to 
connect  them  together. 

The  next  piercing  insects  to  be  described  belong  to  the 
family  of  UROCERID^E,  or  horn-tails,  so  called  because  they 
have  a  horny  point  at  the  end  of  the  body.  The  Ger- 
mans call  them  wood-wasps.  Their  antennae  are  slender, 
and  thread-like,  or  tapering.  They  have  a  large  head, 
convex  before,  and  flat  behind  where  it  joins  the  thorax. 
Their  wings  are  long,  narrow,  and  strong,  and  overlap  on 
the  top  of  the  back,  when  closed.  The  body  is  very  long, 
and  nearly  or  quite  cylindrical;  the  thorax  and  the  after 
part  of  the  body  are  of  equal  thickness,  and  are  closely 
joined  together.  The  horn,  at  the  end,  is  short,  and  coni- 
cal or  triangular,  in  the  males ;  longer,  and  sometimes 
spear-pointed,  in  the  females.  Moreover,  the  latter  are 
provided  with  a  long,  cylindrical  borer,  hinged  to  the  mid- 
dle of  the  belly,  which  is  furrowed  to  receive  it.  The 
borer  usually  extends  some  distance  beyond  the  end  of  the 
body,  and  consists  of  five  pieces.  The  two  outermost  are 
grooved  within,  and,  when  shut,  form  a  hollow  tube  or 
scabbard  to  the  others,  one  of  which  represents  the  two 
backs  of  the  saws  of  the  saw-flies,  joined  together,  and 
encloses  two  needles  for  boring  holes.  The  part  serving 
for  a  back  to  these  needles  is  notched  on  each  side,  and 
the  needles  themselves,  which  are  as  fine  as  a  hair,  and 
as  strong  and  elastic  as  wire,  have  several  small  teeth 

O  * 

along  the  lower  side  towards  the  end.  These  needles, 
and  the  back  in  which  they  play,  are  so  connected  as  to 
appear  to  be  only  a  single  spear-pointed  awl.  With  this 
complicated  and  powerful  tool  the  females  bore  holes  into 
the  trunks  of  trees,  wherein  they  drop  their  eggs.  Their 
young  are  cylindrical  and  fleshy  grubs,  of  a  whitish  color, 
with  a  small,  rounded,  horny  head,  and  a  pointed  and 
horny  tail.  They  have  six  very  small  legs  under  the  fore 


534  HYMENOPTERA. 

part  of  the  body,  and  are  provided  with  strong  and  pow- 
erful jaws,  wherewith  they  bore  long  holes  in  the  trunks 
of  the  trees  that  they  inhabit.  Like  other  borers,  these 
grubs  are  wood-eaters,  and  often  do  great  damage  to  pines 
and  firs,  wherein  they  are  most  commonly  found. 

When  fully  grown,  the  grubs  make  thin  cocoons  of  silk, 
interwoven  with  little  chips,  in  their  burrows,  and  in  them 
go  through  their  transformations.  The  chrysalis  is  some- 
what like  the  winged  insect  in  form,  but  is  of  a  yellowish 
white  color  till  near  the  time  of  its  last  change,  and  the 
wings  and  legs  are  folded  under  the  breast;  in  all  these 
respects  it  agrees  with  the  chrysalids  of  other  Hymenop- 
terous  insects.  After  the  chrysalis  skin  is  cast  off,  the 
winged  insect  breaks  through  its  cocoon,  creeps  to  the 
mouth  of  its  burrow,  and  gnaws  through  the  covering  of 
bark  over  it,  so  as  to  come  out  of  the  tree  into  the  open 
air.  It  is  stated  that  the  grubs  of  the  large  species  come 
to  their  growth  in  seven  weeks  after  the  eggs  are  laid. 
If  this  be  true,  and  it  seems  hardly  possible,  the  chrysalis 
state  must  last  a  long  time,  for  the  perfected  insects  have 
been  known  to  come  out  of  timber  that  had  been  cut  up 
and  applied  to  mechanical  uses  by  the  carpenter.  Some 
persons  have  supposed  that  they  attacked  only  diseased  and 
decayed  trees,  in  which  it  must  be  admitted  they  are  often 
found  in  great  numbers.  But  many  instances  might  be 
mentioned  of  their  appetite  for  sound  wood  also,  and  it  is 
probable  that  the  presence  of  these  insects,  like  that  of 
many  others,  is  the  cause,  and  not  the  consequence,  of  the 
decay  of  the  trees  wherein  they  live. 

It  is  stated  in  the  London  "Zoological  Journal,"  that 
two  hundred  Scotch  firs  have  been  destroyed  by  the  Uro- 
cerus  Juvencus,  in  the  woods  of  Henham  Hall,  the  seat  of 
tlu-  Earl  of  Stanhope,  their  trunks  being  bored  through 
and  through  by  the  grubs  of  this  insect.  Mr.  Westwood 
relates,*  that  a  piece  of  wood,  twenty  feet  in  length,  from 

•  Introduction  to  the  Modern  Classification  of  Insects,  Vol.  II.  p.  118. 


HORN-TAILS.  535 

a  fir-tree  in  Bewdley  Forest,  Worcestershire,  England,  was 
found  to  be  so  intersected  by  the  burrows  of  these  grubs, 
as  to  be  fit  for  nothing  but  firewood;  and  that  the  winged 
insects  continued  to  come  out  of  it,  at  the  rate  of  five,  six, 
or  more  each  day,  for  the  space  of  several  weeks.  Mr. 
Marsham  states,  on  the  authority  of  Sir  Joseph  Banks, 
that  several  specimens  of  Urocerus  gigas  were  seen  to 
come  out  of  the  floor  of  a  nursery  in  a  gentleman's  house, 
to  the  no  small  alarm  and  discomfiture  of  both  nurse  and 
children.  The  grubs  must  therefore  have  existed  in  the 
boards  or  timbers  before  they  were  employed  in  building, 
and  these  materials  would  not  have  been  used  if  in  a  de- 
cayed state.  The  sexes  of  most  of  these  insects  differ  con- 
siderably in  size  and  color,  and  in  the  shape  of  their  body 
and  of  their  hind  legs.  There  are  not  many  different  kinds, 
but  they  are  very  prolific,  and  abound  in  mountainous  dis- 
tricts, and  in  temperate  climates,  where  forests  of  pines 
and  firs  prevail.  A  new  order  was  proposed  for  their 
reception  by  Mr.  Macleay,  and  was  named  Bomboptera,  on 
account  of  the  humming  sound  that  they  make  in  flying. 
Their  young  partake  of  the  nature  of  the  wood-eating 
grubs  of  the  Capricorn  beetles,  which  therefore  they  may 
be  said  to  represent,  as  the  saw-flies  do  some  of  the  leaf- 
eating  insects  of  the  same  order. 

Eight  of  the  UROCERID^E  are  enumerated  in  my  "  Cata- 
logue of  the  Insects  of  Massachusetts,"  including  two  kinds 
of  Xiphydria,  which  are  now  known  to  belong  to  the  same 
family. 

In  the  autumn  of  1826,  Major  E.  M.  Bartlett,  of  North- 
ampton, "  found,  on  the  body  of  one  of  his  almost  lifeless 
pear-trees,  a  dead  insect,  about  one  inch  and  a  half  long, 
attached  to  the  tree  by  its  awl  or  borer,  of  about  the  same 
length,  near  an  inch  of  which  was  fast  in  the  hard  wood ; 
and  there  were  several  deep  punctures  near  it,  evidently 
made  by  the  same  instrument,  and  in  some  of  them  eggs 
were  deposited."  Not  long  afterwards  Major  Bartlett  found 


536  HYMENOPTERA. 

that  the  body  of  this  tree,  two  or  three  feet  from  the  ground, 
was  pierced  with  many  small  holes,  to  the  depth  of  an  inch 
or  more,  and  in  these  holes  there  were  great  numbers  of 
larvae,  about  one  sixth  of  an  inch  in  length,  which  he  sup- 
posed were  hatched  from  the  eggs  seen  there  before ;  and 
he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  tree  was  "  destroyed 
by  the  deadly  needles  of  the  winged  insect"  above  men- 
tioned.* The  latter  was  subsequently  sent  to  me  for  exam- 
ination, and  enabled  me  to  ftirnish  an  account  of  it,  which, 
with  a  description  of  the  male  insect,  was  published  in  Jan- 
uary, 1827,  in  the  fifth  volume  of  the  "  New  England 
Farmer." 

The  insect  proved  to  be  the  Sirex  Columba  of  Linnaeus, 
or  Tremex  Columba  of  modern  naturalists.     Sirex  is  a  cor- 
ruption   of    the    Greek 
Fig- m  name   for   a   wild    bee  ; 

Tremex  signifies  a  per- 
forator, or  maker  of 
holes  ;  and  Columba  a 
pigeon.  The  body  of 
the  female  (Fig.  250) 
is  cylindrical,  about  as 
thick  as  a  common  lead- 
pencil,  and  an  inch  and 
a  half  or  more  in  length, 
exclusive  of  the  borer, 
which  is  an  inch  long, 
and  projects  three  eighths  of  an  inch  beyond  the  end  of 
the  body.  The  latter  rounds  upwards,  like  the  stem  of 
a  boat,  and  is  armed  with  a  point  or  short  horn.  The 
head  and  the  thorax  are  rust-colored,  varied  with  black. 
The  abdomen,  or  hinder  and  longest  part  of  the  body,  is 
black,  with  seven  ochre-yellow  bands  across  the  back,  all 
of  them  but  the  first  two  interrupted  in  the  middle.  The 
horned  tail,  and  a  round  spot  before  it,  impressed  as  if 

See  New  England  Farmer,  Vol.  V.  pp.  167,  175,  186,  and  211. 


THE    PIGEON    TREMEX.  537 

with  a  seal,  are  ochre-yellow.  The  antennae  are  rather 
short  and  blunt,  rust-colored,  with  a  broad  black  ring  in 
the  middle.  The  wings  expand  two  inches  and  a  quarter, 
or  more ;  they  are  smoky  brown  and  semitransparent.  The 
legs  are  ochre-yellow,  with  blackish  thighs.  The  borer,  awl, 
or  needle  is  as  thick  as  a  bristle,  spear-pointed  at  the  end, 
and  of  a  black  color ;  it  is  concealed,  when  not  in  use, 
between  two  narrow  rust-colored  side-pieces,  forming  a  kind 
of  scabbard  to  it. 

This  insect  is  figured  and  described  in  the  second  volume 
of  the  late  Mr.  Say's  "  American  Entomology."  The  male 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  described  by  any  author ; 
and,  although  agreeing,  in  some  respects,  with  the  two 
other  species  represented  by  Mr.  Say,  is  evidently  distinct 
from  both  of  them.  He  is  extremely  unlike  the  female 
in  color,  form,  and  size,  and  is  not  furnished  with  the  re- 
markable borer  of  the  other  sex.  He  is  rust-colored,  varie- 
gated with  black.  His  antennas  are  rust-yellow  or  blackish. 
His  wings  are  smoky,  but  clearer  than  those  of  the  female. 
His  hind  body  is  somewhat  flattened,  rather  widest  behind, 
and  ends  with  a  conical  horn.  His  hind  legs  are  flattened, 
much  wider  than  those  of  the  female,  and  of  a  blackish 
color ;  the  other  legs  are  rust-colored,  and  more  or  less 
shaded  with  black.  The  length  of  his  body  varies  from 
three  quarters  of  an  inch  to  one  inch  and  a  quarter;  and 
his  wings  expand  from  one  inch  and  a  quarter  to  two  inches 
or  more. 

An  old  elm-tree  in  this  vicinity  used  to  be  a  favorite 
place  of  resort  for  the  Tremex  Columba,  or  pigeon  Tremex ; 
and  around  it  great  numbers  of  the  insects  were  often  col- 
lected, during  the  months  of  July  and  August,  and  the 
early  part  of  September.  Six  or  more  females  might  fre- 
quently be  seen  at  once  upon  it,  employed  in  boring  into 
the  trunk  and  laying  their  eggs,  while  swarms  of  the  males 
hovered  around  them.  For  fifteen  years  or  more,  some 
large  buttonwood-trees  in  Cambridge  have  been  visited  by 
68 


538  HYMENOPTERA. 

them  in  the  same  way.  The  female,  when  about  to  lay 
her  eggs,  draws  her  borer  out  of  its  sheath,  till  it  stands 
perpendicularly  under  the  middle  of  her  body,  when  she 
plunges  it,  by  repeated  wriggling  motions,  through  the  bark 
into  the  wood.  When  the  hole  is  made  deep  enough,  she 
then  drops  an  egg  therein,  conducting  it  to  the  place  by 
means  of  the  two  furrowed  pieces  of  the  sheath.  The  borer 
often  pierces  the  bark  and  wood  to  the  depth  of  half  an 
inch  or  more,  and  is  sometimes  driven  in  so  tightly  that 
the  insect  cannot  draw  it  out  again,  but  remains  fastened 
to  the  tree  till  she  dies.  The  eggs  are  oblong  oval,  pointed 
at  each  end,  and  rather  less  than  one  twentieth  of  an  inch 
in  length.  The  larva,  or  grub,  is  yellowish-white,  of  a 
cylindrical  shape,  rounded  behind,  with  a  conical,  horny 
point  on  the  upper  part  of  the  hinder  extremity,  and  it 
grows  to  the  length  of  about  an  inch  and  a  half.  It  is  often 
destroyed  by  the  maggots  of  two  kinds  of  ichneumon-flies 
{Pimpla  atrata  and  lunator  (Fig.  251)  of  Fabricius).  These 
flies  may  frequently  be  seen  thrusting  their  slender  borers, 
measuring  from  three  to  four  inches  in  length,  into  the 
trunks  of  trees  inhabited  by  the  grubs  of  the  Tremex,  and 
by  other  wood-eating  insects ;  and,  like  the  female  Tremex, 
they  sometimes  become  fastened  to  the  trees,  and  die  without 
being  able  to  draw  their  borers  out  again. 

Urocerus  albicornis,  of  Fabricius,  the  white-horned  Uro- 
cerus,  has  white  antennae,  longer  and  more  tapering  than 
those  of  the  pigeon  Tremex,  and  black  at  each  end.  The 
female  is  of  a  deep  blue-black  color,  with  an  oval  white 
spot  behind  each  eye,  and  another  on  each  side  of  the 
hinder  part  of  the  abdomen.  The  horn  on  the  tail  is  long, 
and  shaped  like  the  head  of  a  lance.  The  wings  are  smoky 
brown,  and  semitransparent.  The  legs  are  black,  with 
white  joints.  The  body  measures  about  an  inch  in  length, 

1 

the  wings  expand  nearly  two  inches.  The  male  has  a 
black  head,  with  a  white  spot  on  each  side,  behind  the  eyes. 
His  thorax  and  legs  are  black.  His  abdomen  is  flattened, 


THE    PIMPLA    LUNATOR.  539 

and  rust-colored,  and  ends  with  a  flattened  horny  point.     He 


measures  about   an   inch  in  length.      This    species,   which 
is  not  common,  has  been  found  on  pine-trees  in  July. 

68* 


640  HYMENOPTERA. 

Urocerus  nitidus?  the  polished  horn-tail,  is  an  unde- 
scribed  species,  for  which  I  am  indebted  to  the  Rev.  L. 
W.  Leonard.  The  male  is  not  known  to  me.  The  female 
is  of  a  deep  blue  color,  downy  on  the  head  and  thorax, 
smooth  and  highly  polished  on  the  abdomen, '  the  end  of 
which  is  armed  with  a  flattened  horny  point.  Her  wings 
are  clear  and  perfectly  transparent,  with  brownish  veins, 
and  have  only  a  faint  smoky  tinge  towards  the  tip.  Her 
legs  are  ochre-yellow.  The  body  of  this  insect  measures 
rather  more  than  three  quarters  of  an  inch,  exclusive  of 
the  horn  on  the  tail.  This  insect  differs  from  the  European 
Urocerus  Juvencus  in  the  much  greater  brilliancy  of  its  color, 
and  in  having  shorter  antennae.  The  borer  of  this  and  of 
the  preceding  species  resembles,  in  form  and  structure,  that 
of  the  pigeon  Tremex,  and  is  used  in  the  same  way. 

Urocerus  abdominalis,*  the  black  and  orange  horn-tail, 
of  which  only  the  male  is  known  to  me,  has  not  been 
described  before.  It  is  black,  with  the  four  middle  seg- 
ments of  the  abdomen  deep  orange.  There  is  a  pale  yel- 
low spot  behind  each  eye ;  the  front  corners  of  the  thorax 
are  pale  brownish-yellow ;  and  there  are  two  minute  yel- 
lowish scales  on  the  back  part  of  the  thorax.  The  abdo- 
men is  flattened  and  widened  behind,  and  ends  with  a 
flattened  or  triangular  point.  The  antennas  are  long  and 
tapering,  of  a  reddish  brown  color,  with  the  two  extremi- 
ties black.  The  wings  are  transparent,  with  brown  veins, 
and  are  a  little  smoky  at  the  tips.  The  first  four  legs  are 
ochre-yellow,  with  black  thighs ;  and  the  hind  legs  are 
black,  with  yellow  knees  and  feet.  This  insect  varies  in 
length  from  six  tenths  to  more  than  three  quarters  of  an  inch. 
It  is  found  in  July,  on  the  trunks  of  the  white  pine. 

Mr.   Westwood   has  ascertained    that   the   grubs   of  the 

[  *  Urocmu  nitidtu.    This  is  the  cyaneiu  of  Fab.  Syst  Piez.  p.  50.  —  NORTON.] 

*  80  named  from  the  great  contrast  in  the  colors  of  the  abdomen.  In  my 
'  Catalogue  "  it  stands  under  the  genus  Sire*  of  Linnaeus,  which  is  the  same  as 
Unctn*  of  Geoffroy. 


HORN-TAILED    WOOD-WASPS.  541 

insects  belonging  to  the  genus  Xiphydria  have  the  same 
form  and  habits  as  those  of  the  horn-tailed  wood- wasps. 
The  name  comes  from  a  word  signifying  a  small  sword, 
in  allusion  to  the  borer  of  the  female,  which  is  shorter 
than  in  the  preceding  horn-tails.  The  winged  insects 
have  a  rounded  head,  distant  from  the  thorax,  to  the  lower 
part  of  which  it  is  joined  by  a  slender  conical  neck.  The 
body  is  nearly  cylindrical,  a  little  flattened,  somewhat  turned 
up  behind,  and  ends  with  an  obtuse  point.  The  antennas 
are  short,  curved,  and  tapering  at  the  end. 

Xiphydria  albicornis  of  my  "  Catalogue,"  or  the  white- 
horned  Xiphydria,  has  white  antennas  with  the  two  lowest 
joints  black.  The  head  is  black,  with  a  narrow  white 
line  around  each  of  the  eyes,  forming  a  large  oval,  inter- 
rupted only  in  two  places,  on  each  side  of  the  head.  The 
body  is  black,  with  a  spot  on  the  front  corners  of  the  tho- 
rax, and  six  spots  on  each  side  of  the  abdomen,  of  a  white 
color.  The  legs  are  reddish  yellow  or  honey-yellow,  with 
dusky  feet.  The  wings  are  transparent,  and  have  blackish 
veins.  The  body  measures  from  six  tenths  to  nearly  three 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  length.  This  insect  is  found  on 
the  trunks  of  trees  of  soft  wood,  in  August. 

Xiphydria  mellipes  of  my  "  Catalogue  "  may  be  merely 
a  variety  of  the  preceding,  from  which  it  differs  chiefly 
in  having  only  four  white  spots  on  each  side  of  the  abdo- 
men. It  is  four  tenths  of  an  inch  long.  I  am  indebted 
to  the  Rev.  L.  W.  Leonard  for  specimens  of  these  two 
species. 

The  name  of  the  genus  Oryssus  comes  from  a  Greek 
word  signifying  to  dig  holes.  The  insects  belonging  to  it 
differ  considerably  from  the  other  Uroceridce,  but,  from  what 
little  is  known  respecting  them,  they  appear  to  have  the 
same  habits.  They  have  a  cylindrical  body,  almost  rounded 
behind,  or  bluntly  pointed,  and  not  distinctly  horned.  Their 
heads  are  large,  and  very  rough  on  the  front.  Their  an- 
tennas appear  to  come  out  of  the  mouth,  being  inserted 


542  HYMENOPTERA. 

close  to  it,  under  the  outer  angles  of  the  visor;  are  rather 
short,  curved,  and  thread-like ;  and  are  unequal  in  the  num- 
ber and  size  of  the  joints,  in  the  two  sexes.  They  have 
a  short  and  thick  neck.  Their  borer  is  very  slender,  is 
entirely  concealed  in  a  deep  and  narrow  chink  under  the 
hinder  part  of  the  body,  and  is  coiled  up  at  its  base,  so 
that  it  can  be  darted  out  to  some  distance  when  extended. 
The  fore  legs  of  the  females  are  very  thick,  and  have  only 
three  joints  to  the  feet ;  while  the  rest,  as  well  as  all  of  the 
feet  of  the  male,  are  five-jointed.  Their  wings  have  but 
few  veins  and  meshes  in  them.  These  insects  are  active, 
fly  quickly,  and  love  to  alight  and  run  about  on  the  sunny 
side  of  the  trunks  of  trees,  wherein  they  are  supposed  to 
lay  their  eggs. 

For  a  long  time,  only  two  kinds  of  Oryssus  were  known 
to  naturalists,  and  both  of  them  were  European  insects.  In 
the  year  1833,  three  undescribed  species  were  enumerated 
in  my  "  Catalogue  of  the  Insects  of  Massachusetts " ;  and 
these,  in  the  second  edition  of  the  Catalogue,  which  was 
published  early  in  1835,  received  the  following  descriptive 
names,  by  means  whereof  an  entomologist  would  find  little 
or  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  them ;  namely,  hcemorrhoida- 
fo,  the  red-tailed,  maurus,  the  dark-colored,  and  affinis,  the 
allied,  so  called  from  its  near  resemblance  to  the  preceding 
species.  These  singular  insects  were  taken  upon  a  willow- 
tree,  by  my  friend,  the  Rev.  L.  W.  Leonard,  and  were  pre- 
sented to  me  many  years  ago. 

The  red-tailed  Oryssus  has  been  renamed  and  described, 
by  Mr.  Newman,  in  the  October  number 

Flc   2A2. 

of  the  fifth  volume*  of  "The  Entomologi- 
cal Magazine,"  published  in  London  in 
1838.  It  is  his  Oryssus  terminalis  (Fig. 
252).  The  female  only  is  known  to  me. 
Her  body  is  black,  rough  before,  and  smooth 
behind,  with  the  last  three  segments  of  a  blood-red  color. 


THE    FOUR-WINGED    GALL-FLIES.  543 

The  outer  side  of  the  fourth  and  fifth  joints  of  her  antennae, 
her  knees,  and  a  line  on  the  outer  edge  of  her  shins,  are 
white.  Her  feet  are  dull  red.  Her  wings  are  clear  and 
transparent,  with  a  broad,  smoky-brown,  transverse  band, 
beyond  the  middle  of  the  first  pair.  Her  body  measures 
nearly  six  tenths  of  an  inch  in  length. 

The  dark-colored  Oryssus  is  probably  the  same  as  one 
described  by  Mr.  Westwood,  in  1835,  in  the  fifth  volume* 
of  "  The  Zoological  Journal,"  under  the  name  of  Oryssus 
Sayii,  in  honor  of  the  late  Mr.  Say,  who  sent  him  the  insect. 
It  is  of  a  deep  black  color,  rough  before  and  smooth  behind, 
and  is  marked  with  white  on  the  antenna?  and  legs,  like 
the  red-tailed  kind,  with  the  addition  of  two  short  white 
lines  on  the  forehead,  between  the  lower  corners  of  the 
eyes.  The  feet  are  black.  The  wings  have  a  smoky  band 
beyond  the  middle,  which,  however,  fades  away  towards 
the  inner  margin.  I  have  seen  only  females  of  this  species, 
and  they  measure  from  four  to  five  tenths  of  an  inch  in 
length. 

It  is  possible  that  my  Oryssus  affinis,  which  is  a  male, 
may  be  the  mate  of  the  foregoing  dark-colored  species,  from 
which  it  differs  in  having  reddish  feet,  and  in  wanting  the 
two  white  spots  on  the  forehead.  It  measures  four  tenths 
of  an  inch  in  length. 

From  this  somewhat  extended  account,  it  is  evident  that 
we  have  very  little  power  over  the  insects  of  the  foregoing 
family.  The  most  that  we  can  do  towards  checking  their 
ravages  will  be  to  destroy  the  females,  whenever  they  are 
found  laying  their  eggs. 

The  four-winged  gall-flies  have  very  little  outward  resem- 
blance to  the  saw-flies  and  horn-tailed  wood-wasps.  They 
agree  with  them,  however,  in  boring  into  plants,  and  in 
laying  their  eggs  therein.  Vegetation  does  not  often  suffer 
much  injury  from  their  attacks,  and  it  is  only  on  account 
of  the  very  singular  productions,  called  galls,  arising  from 

.*  Page  440. 


544  HYMENOPTERA. 

the  irritating  punctures  of  these  insects,  that  the  attention 
of  cultivators  is  at  all  likely  to  be  drawn  to  them.  There 
are  some  two-winged  flies,  and  also  some  other  insects, 
which  produce  various  kinds  of  excrescences  or  galls  on 
plants ;  but  these  now  under  consideration  are  very  small, 
four-winged  insects,  belonging  to  the  order  Hymenoptera, 
and  distinguished  by  the  following  peculiarities.  The  head 
is  small ;  the  antennae  are  rather  short,  slender,  and  thread- 
like; and  the  thorax  is  thick  and  hunched.  The  abdomen 
or  hind  body,  viewed  sidewise,  appears  round  or  oval,  but 
it  is  sharp-edged  above  and  below,  very  thin  or  pinched 
up  at  the  sides,  and  is  hung  to  the  thorax  by  a  very  short 
and  slender  stem.  The  fore  wings  are  rather  long,  and 
have  only  a  few  veins  in  them ;  the  hind  wings  are  small, 
and  seemingly  veinless.  The  borer  of  the  females  is  very 
long,  and  slender,  concealed  in  the  under  side  of  the  hind 
body,  the  curvature  whereof  it  follows,  and  is  capable  of 
being  straightened  and  thrust  out  of  a  narrow  chink,  which 
is  covered  by  two  little,  grooved,  sheath-like  pieces,  that 
serve  to  conduct  the  eggs  into  the  holes  made  with  the 
instrument. 

The  genus  containing  most  of  the  gall-flies  was  called, 
by  Geoffrey,  Diplolepis,  that  is,  double  scales,  on  account 
of  the  two  pieces  that  cover  the  opening  for  the  borer  in 
the  hinder  part  of  the  abdomen.  The  same  insects,  how- 
ever, had  previously  been  placed  by  Linnaeus  in  the  genus 
Cyrtips,  so  called  from  a  word  used  by  ancient  authors  to 
designate  some  small  piercing  insect.  The  Linnaean  name, 
though  for  some  time  rejected,  has  been  restored  to  the  gall- 
flies, which  accordingly  are  now  included  in  a  family  called 
CTNIPIDJB.  The  punctures,  made  by  these  insects  in  the 
leaves,  buds,  stems,  and  roots  of  plants,  are  followed  by 
swellings  of  the  wounded  parts,  which  increase  rapidly  in 
size,  and  become  spongy  or  pulpy  within.  The  thin-skinned 
eggs,  dropped  into  the  punctures,  grow  awhile,  by  absorb- 
ing the  sap  around  them,  and,  when  at  length  they  are 


GALL-FLIES.  545 

hatched,  the  little  grubs,  proceeding  therefrom,  find  them- 
selves comfortably  bedded  within  the  pulpy  tumors,  and 
plentifully  supplied  with  food  on  every  side.  They  feed 
on  the  vegetable  substance  immediately  around  them,  come 
to  their  growth  in  due  time,  cast  their  skins,  and  appear 
first  in  the  chrysalis  and  then  in  the  winged  form,  and 
finally  gnaw  their  way  through  the  hard  shell  of  the  galls, 
and  come  out  into  the  open  air.  There  are  a  few  of  the 
grubs,  however,  that  leave  the  galls  when  fully  grown,  and 
finish  their  transformations  in  the  ground. 

The  grubs  or  young  of  the  gall-flies  are  of  a  whitish 
color,  and  somewhat  resemble  maggots,  but  are  shorter 
and  thicker,  and  have  a  small,  distinct  head.  They  are 
without  proper  legs,  and  move  only  by  means  of  the  swollen 
edges  of  their  rings,  with  the  aid,  it  is  said,  of  certain  little 
contractile  warts  on  their  bodies,  that  serve  them  instead 
of  feet.  There  are  almost  as  many  kinds  of  galls  as  there 
are  f  species  of  gall-flies ;  and  each  species  confines  its 
attacks  to  some  one  sort  of  plant,  and  to  some  particular 
part  thereof.  It  is  wonderful  that  there  should  be  such  a 
diversity  in  the  forms  and  texture  of  the  galls  of  insects 
so  nearly  resembling  each  other  in  form  and  structure ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  that  each  species  of  gall-fly  should 
invariably  produce  galls  of  the  same  kind.  Many  galls  are 
very  irregular  and  uneven,  others  are  round  and  resemble 
fruits ;  some  are  smooth,  others  are  beset  with  prickles, 
or  covered  with  a  woolly  substance ;  some  hang  by  little 
stems,  others  are  perfectly  flat,  and  adhere  closely  to  the 
surface  of  leaves.  At  first  they  are  soft  or  spongy  within, 
but  after  some  time  they  become  hard,  and  almost  or  quite 
woody.  The  eggs  of  some  gall-flies  do  not  hatch  till  the 
galls  begin  to  grow  hard  on  the  outside ;  this  is  the  rea- 
son why  we  do  not  find  any  insects  within  certain  kinds 
of  galls,  so  long  as  they  remain  soft  and  unripe. 

The  round  and  hard  Aleppo  galls,  or  nutgalls  of  com- 
merce, used  in  the  making  of  ink,  in  coloring,  and  in  med- 
69 


546  HYMENOPTERA. 

icine,  are  caused  by  the  punctures  of  the  Cynipz  gallce 
tinctoricB  on  a  kind  of  oak  growing  in  the  western  part 
of  Asia ;  and  the  insect  may  often  be  found  in  those  which 
are  not  pierced  with  holes.  Some  galls  contain  only  a 
single  insect,  lodged  in  a  little  cavity  in  the  centre ;  other 
kinds  are  inhabited  by  several  grubs,  each  in  a  cell  by 
itself,  and  the  cells  not  unfrequently  resemble  numerous 
small  seeds,  clustered  together  in  the  middle  of  a  fruit. 
Two  or  three  different  kinds  of  insects  are  often  found  to 
come  from  one  gall,  namely,  a  few  gall-flies,  which  are 
the  lawful  proprietors  thereof,  and  more  numerous  four- 
winged  flies  (CHALCIDID^E),  with  elbowed  antennas.  The 
latter  are  bred  from  grubs,  which  devour  the  grubs  of 
some  of  the  gall-flies,  or  starve  them  by  eating  up  their 
food,  and  thereby  contribute  to  check  the  too  great  increase 
of  the  gall-flies. 

The  largest  galls  found  in  this  country  are  commonly 
called  oak-apples.  They  grow  on  the  leaves  of  the  red 
oak,  are  round  and  smooth,  and  measure  from  an  inch 
and  a  half  to  two  inches  in  diameter.  This  kind  of  gall 
(Plate  VIII.  Fig.  9)  is  green  and  somewhat  pulpy  at 
first,  but  when  ripe  it  consists  of  a  thin  and  brittle  shell, 
of  a  dirty  drab  color,  enclosing  a  quantity  of  brown  spongy 
matter,  in  the  middle  of  which  is  a  woody  kernel  about 

as  big  as  a  pea.  A  single  grub 
(Fig  253,  magnified)  lives  in 
the  kernel,  becomes  a  chrysalis 
y  (Fig.  254)  in  the  autumn,  when 
the  oak-apple  falls  from  the  tree, 
changes  to  a  fly  in  the  spring, 
and  makes  its  escape  out  of  a 
small  round  hole  which  it  gnaws 
through  the  kernel  and  shell.  This  is  probably  the  usual 
Bourse,  hut  I  have  known  this  gall-fly  to  come  out  in  Octo- 
ber. The  name  of  this  insect  is  Cynips  conftuens.*  (Plate 

n»  confluenivt  of  my  Catnlofrue,  and  so  named  bv  Mr.  Sav. 


THE    WHITE-OAK    GALL-FLY.  547 

VIII.  Fig.  10.)  Its  head  and  thorax  are  black,  and  are 
rough  with  numerous  little  pits  and  short  hairs  ;  the  hind 
body  is  smooth,  and  of  a  shining  pitch-color  ;  the  legs  are 
dull  brownish  red  ;  and  the  fore  wings  have  a  brown  spot 
near  the  middle  of  the  outer  edge.  Its  body  is  nearly  one 
quarter  of  an  inch  long,  and  its  wings  expand  five  eighths 
of  an  inch. 

A  dwarf  oak  (Qaercus  infectoria),  growing  on  the  borders 
of  the  Dead  Sea,  produces  galls  somewhat  like  the  forego- 
ing, which  have  been  supposed  to  be  the  apples  of  Sodom, 
described  by  ancient  writers  as  fruits  fair  to  the  view,  but 
crumbling  into  dust  when  handled.  A  late  writer,*  how- 
ever, has  shown  that  these  tempting  and  deceptive  produc- 
tions are  the  real  fruits  of  a  tree,  the  Asdepias  procera, 
resembling  our  common  silk-weed  in  its  botanical  characters. 

Clusters  of  three  or  four  round  and  smooth  galls  are 
often  seen  on  the  small  twigs  of  the  white  oak.  They  are 
nearly  as  large  as  bullets,  of  a  greenish  color  on  one  side, 
and  red  on  the  other.  They  approach  in  hardness  to  the 
Aleppo  galls,  and  perhaps  might  be  put  to  the  same  use. 
Each  one  is  the  nest  of  a  single  insect,  which  turns  to  a  fly 
and  eats  its  way  out  in  June  and  July,  having  passed  the 
winter  as  a  chrysalis,  within  the  gall,  lodged  in  a  clay-col- 
ored egg-shaped  case,  about  three  twentieths  of  an  inch 
long,  and  with  a  brittle  shell.  These  little  cases  appear 
to  be  cocoons,  but  are  not  made  of  silk  or  fibrous  matter. 
Similar  cocoons  are  found  within  many  other  galls,  and  I 
have  some  which  were  discovered  under  stones,  and  were 
not  contained  in  galls,  but  produced  gall-flies,  the  insects 
having  left  their  galls,  to  finish  their  transformations  in 
the  ground.  The  gall-fly  of  the  white  oak  varies  in  color. 
Sometimes  it  closely  resembles  the  gall-fly  of  our  oak-apple, 
differing  from  it  only  in  size,  and  in  wanting  the  brownish 
spot  and  dark-colored  veins  on  the  fore  wings ;  and  some- 
times it  is  of  a  dull  brownish-yellow  color,  with  a  brown 

*  Robinson's  Biblical  Researches  in  Palestine,  Vol.  II.  p.  235. 


548  HYMENOPTERA. 

spot  on  the  back.  It  is  three  twentieths  of  an  inch  long, 
and  its  wings  expand  three  tenths  of  an  inch.  It  is  the 
Diplolepis,  or  more  properly  Cynips  oneratus  of  my  Cata- 
logue. 

Galls  of  the  size  and  color  of  grapes  are  found  on  the 
leaves  of  some  oaks.  Each  one  contains  a  grub,  which 
finishes  its  transformations  in  June.  The  winged  insect  is 
my  Cynips  nubilipennis,  or  cloudy- winged  Cynips,  so  named 
from  the  smoky  cloud  on  the  tips  of  its  wings.  Excepting 
in  this  respect,  it  closely  resembles  the  dark-colored  variety 
of  Cynips  oneratus,  and  very  little  exceeds  it  in  size. 

One  of  our  smallest  gall-flies  may  be  called  Cynips  semi- 
nator,  or  the  sower.  She  lays  a  great  number  of  eggs  in  a 
ring-like  cluster  around  the  small  twigs  of  the  white  oak, 
and  her  punctures  are  followed  by  the  growth  of  a  rough 
or  shaggy  reddish  gall,  as  large  sometimes  as  a  walnut. 
When  this  is  ripe,  it  is  like  brittle  sponge  in  texture,  and 
contains  numerous  little  seed-like  bodies,  adhering  by  one 
end  around  the  sides  of  the  central  twig.  These  seeming 
seeds  have  a  thin  and  tough  hull,  of  a  yellowish- white  color ; 
they  are  egg-shaped,  pointed  at  one  end,  and  are  nearly 
one  eighth  of  an  inch  long.  The  gall-insects  live  singly, 
and  undergo  their  transformations,  within  these  seeds ;  after 
which,  in  order  to  come  out,  they  gnaw  a  small  hole  in  the 
hull,  and  then  easily  work  their  way  through  the  spongy 
ball  wherein  they  are  lodged.  They  are  less  than  one  tenth 
of  an  inch  long,  are  almost  black,  or  of  the  color  of  pitch, 
highly  polished,  especially  on  the  abdomen,  and  their  mouth, 
antenna?,  and  legs  are  cinnamon-colored. 

It  has  been  observed  that  no  tree  in  Europe  yields  so 
many  different  kinds  of  galls  as  the  oak.  Those  which  I 
have  described  are  not  all  that  are  found  on  oaks  in  this 
country,  and  they  seem  to  be  sufficiently  distinct  from  the 
galls  of  European  oaks. 

Round,  prickly  galls,  of  a  reddish  color,  and  rather  larger 
than  a  pea,  may  often  be  seen  on  rose-bushes.  Eac-h  of 


ROSE    GALL-FLIES.  549 

them  contains  a  single  grub,  and  this  in  due  time  turns  to 
a  gall-fly,  which  may  be  called  Cynips  bicolor,  the  two-col- 
ored Cynips.  Its  head  and  thorax  are  black,  and  rough 
with  numerous  little  pits ;  its  hind  body  is  polished,  and, 
with  the  legs,  of  a  brownish-red  color.  It  is  a  large  insect 
compared  with  the  size  of  its  gall,  measuring  nearly  one 
fifth  of  an  inch  in  length,  while  the  diameter  of  its  gall,  not 
including  =]the  prickles,  rarely  exceeds  three  tenths  of  an 
inch. 

Cynips  dichlocerus,  or  the  gall-fly  with  two-colored  antennae, 
(Plate  VIII.  Fig.  6,  Fig.  7  magnified,)  is  of  a  brownish- 
red  or  cinnamon  color,  with  four  little  longitudinal  grooves 
on  the  top  of  the  thorax,  the  lower  part  of  the  antennae  red, 
and  the  remainder  black.  It  varies  in  being  darker  some- 
times, and  measures  from  one  eighth  to  three  sixteenths  of 
an  inch  in  length.  Great  numbers  of  these  gall-flies  are 
bred  in  the  irregular  woody  galls,  or  long  excrescences,  of 
the  stems  of  rose-bushes  (Plate  VIII.  Fig  8). 

The  small  roots  of  rose-bushes,  and  of  other  plants  of  the 
same  family,  sometimes  produce  rounded,  warty,  and  woody 
knobs,  inhabited  by  numerous  gall-insects,  which,  in  coming 
out,  pierce  them  with  small  holes  on  all  sides.  The  winged 
insects  closely  resemble  the  dark  varieties  of  the  preceding 
species,  in  color,  and  in  the  little  farrows  on  the  thorax ; 
but  their  legs  are  rather  paler,  and  they  do  not  measure 
more  than  one  tenth  of  an  inch  in  length.  This  species  has 
been  named  Cynips  semipiceus. 

Monstrous  swellings  of  buds,  and  various  other  kinds  of 
excrescences,  may  often  be  seen  on  plants ;  but  my  speci- 
mens of  the  insects  producing  them  are  not  in  a  condition 
to  be  described.  The  foregoing  account,  however,  will  serve 
to  illustrate  the  habits  of  some  of  our  most  common  gall- 
flies, and  explain  the  origin,  forms,  and  structure  of  their 
singular  productions.  Such  excrescences,  as  soon  as  they 
are  observed  on  plants  of  any  value,  should  immediately  be 
cut  off,  and  put  into  the  fire. 


f)50  HYMENOPTERA. 

Gall-insects,  as  already  stated,  are  often  destroyed  by 
little  parasites  belonging  to  the  family  CHALCIDIDJS  ;  and 
as  these  are  liable  to  be  mistaken  for  the  former,  especially 
when  coming  from  the  same  gall,  it  may  be  well  to  point 
out  the  difference  between  them.  The  four-winged  gall-flies 
have  rather  long,  straight,  thread-like,  and  ascending  anten- 
nae ;  the  fore  wings  with  a  few  veins,  forming  two  triangular 
meshes,  one  of  which  is  very  small,  and  situated  near  the 
middle  of  the  wing,  the  other  mesh  much  larger,  and  near 
the  base ;  the  hind  body  roundish,  but  laterally  compressed ; 
and  the  piercer  spiral  or  curved,  and  concealed.  The  Chal- 
cidians  have  shorter,  elbowed,  and  drooping  antennae,  which 
are  enlarged  towards  the  end ;  a  single  vein,  running  from 
the  shoulder  near  the  outer  margin  of  the  fore  wing,  uniting 
with  this  margin  near  its  middle,  and  emitting  thence,  to- 
wards the  disk  of  the  wing,  a  short  oblique  branch,  which 
is  enlarged  or  forked  at  the  end ;  the  hind  body  generally 
oval,  pointed  at  the  end  in  the  females,  and  provided  in  this 
sex  with  a  straight  piercer,  which  is  more  or  less  visible 
beneath,  and  prominent  at  the  extremity.  By  means  of 
their  piercers,  the  Chalcidians  thrust  their  eggs  into  the 
galls  made  by  various  kinds  of  gall-insects,  and  the  mag- 
gots hatched  from  these  eggs  devour 

Fig  266.       Fig.  266.  ~  ^  „  a.  ^^.        orc 

the  young  of  the  gall-flies.  (Fig.  255, 
larva  of  a  Chalcidian,  which  attacks 
Oynips  dichlocerus ;  Fig.  256,  pupa  of 
the  same.)  Nor  do  they  destroy  these 
alone  ;  they  prey  upon  many  other 
larvae,  especially  caterpillars,  and  also 
on  pupae  or  chrysalids.  Some  of  them  are  egg-parasites, 
puncturin«r  the  eggs  of  other  insects,  and  depositing  therein 
their  own  tiny  eggs.  They  are  the  minute  ichneumons 
(Ichneumone*  minuti)  of  Linnaaus,  and,  like  the  true  ich- 
neumon-flies, they  are  eminently  useful  in  checking  the 
inrivase  of  the  noxious  tribes. 

Such  being  the  known  habits  and  services  of  the  greater 


THE    CHALCIDIANS.  551 

part  of  the  Chalcidians,  it  may  seem  singular  that  any 
doubt  should  exist  in  regard  to  others  of  them.  There 
are,  however,  some  kinds  which  have  been  thought  to  pro- 
duce galls  themselves,  instead  of  being  the  parasites  of 
gall-insects ;  certain  species  wearing  indeed  the  form  of  a 
Chalcidian,  but  appearing  to  have  the  habits  of  a  Cynips. 
These  species  belong  to  the  genus  Eurytoma,  which,  though 
agreeing  in  structure  with  the  Chalcidians,  Professor  Nees 
von  Esenbeck  was  inclined  to  place  among  the  CYNIPID^E, 
because  he  took  them  to  be  gall-makers.  Mr.  Westwood* 
controverts  this  opinion;  and  Dr.  Ratzeburgf  considers  it 
as  founded  upon  error.  It.  may  nevertheless  be  correct,  if 
there  be  no  mistake  in  the  result  of  observations  made 
upon  the  insects,  called  barley-straw  insects  and  joint- 
worms,  that  produce  gall-like  swellings  upon  the  stems  of 
barley  and  of  wheat  in  this  country. 

In  the  years  1829  and  1830  several  communications  were 
published  in  the  eighth  volume  of  Fessenden's  "  New  Eng- 
land Farmer,  "J  respecting  a  disease  of  barley-straw,  pro- 
duced by  the  punctures  of  insects.  The  first  account  of 
this  disease  that  has  fallen  under  my  notice  is  contained 
in  an  extract  from  a  letter,  dated  August  16th,  1829,  from 
the  Honorable  John  Merrill,  of  Newburyport,  to  Mr.  Fes- 
senden ;  wherein  it  is  stated,  that  the  barley,  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Newburyport,  yielded  only  a  very  small  crop; 
on  some  farms,  not  much  more  than  the  seed  sown.  Most 
of  the  stalks  were  found  to  have  a  number  of  small  worms 
within  them,  near  to  the  second  joint,  and  had  become 
hardened  in  the  part  attacked,  from  the  interruption  of  the 
circulation  of  the  sap.  During  several  years  previous  to 
this  date,  the  barley  crops,  in  various  parts  of  Essex  and 
Middlesex  Counties,  were  more  or  less  injured  in  the  same 
way ;  and  in  some  places  the  cultivation  of  this  grain  was 

*  Modern  Classification  of  Insects,  Vol.  II.  p.  161,  note. 

t  Die  Ichneumonen  der  Forstinsecten,  I.  172. 

t  Pages  43.  138,  217,  299,  330,  and  402.     Also  Vol.  IX.  p.  2,  and  Vol.  X.  p.  11. 


552  HYMENOPTERA. 

given  up  in  consequence  thereof.  It  was  supposed  that  the 
insects  producing  this  disease  were  imported  from  Bremen, 
or  some  other  port  in  the  North  of  Europe,  in  some  barley 
that  was  sown  in  the  vicinity  of  Newbury,  three  or  four 
years  before  1829.*  The  worms  or  maggots  were  found, 
by  John  M.  Gourgas,  Esq.,  of  Weston,  Massachusetts,  to 
be  transformed  to  small  flies,  "  about  the  make  and  size  of 
a  small  black  ant,  with  wings,"  which  were  thought,  by 
some  persons,  to  be  the  same  as  the  Hessian  flies. 

In  the  summer  of  1831,  myriads  of  these  flies  were 
found  alive  in  straw  beds  in  Gloucester;  the  straw  having 
been  taken  from  the  fields  the  year  before.  An  opinion 
at  that  time  prevailed,  that  the  troublesome  humors  where- 
with many  persons  were  then  afflicted  were  occasioned  by 
the  bites  of  these  flies ;  and  it  is  stated  that  the  straw  beds 
in  Lexington,  being  found  to  be  infested  with  the  same 
insects,  were  generally  burnt.f  Mr.  Gourgas  observes, J 
that  when  the  barley  is  about  eight  or  ten  inches  high, 
the  effects  of  the  disease  in  it  begin  to  be  visible  by  a 
sudden  check  in  the  growth  of  the  plants,  and  the  yellow* 
color  of  their  lower  leaves.  If  the  buts  of  the  straw  are 
now  examined,  they  will  be  found  to  be  irregularly  swollen, 
and  discolored,  between  the  second  and  third  joints,  and, 
instead  of  being  hollow,  are  rendered  solid,  hard,  and 
brittle,  so  that  the  stem  above  the  diseased  part  is  impov- 
erished, and  seldom  produces  any  grain.  Suckers,  how- 
ever, shoot  out  below,  and  afterwards  yield  a  partial  crop, 
seldom  exceeding  one  half  the  usual  quantity  of  grain. 
Dr.  Andrew  Nichols,  of  Danvers,  states,§  that  the  worms, 
are  about  one  tenth  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  of  a  yellow 
or  straw  color ;  and  that,  in  the  month  of  November,  they 
appeared  to  have  passed  to  the  chrysalis  state.  They  live 
through  the  winter  unchanged  in  the  straw,  many  of  them 
in  the  stubble  in  the  field,  while  others  are  carried  away 

New  England  Fanner,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  217.  J  Ibid.,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  29i>. 

Ibid.,  Vol.  X.  p.  11.  j  Ibid.,  p.  138. 


THE    BARLEY-STRAW    INSECT.  553 

when  the  grain  is  harvested.  When  the  barley  is  threshed, 
numerous  small  pieces  of  diseased  straw,  too  hard  to  be 
broken  by  the  flail,  will  be  found  among  the  grain.  Some 
of  these  may  be  separated  by  the  winnowing-machine,  but 
many  others  are  too  large  and  heavy  to  be  winnowed  out, 
and  remain  with  the  grain,  from  which  they  can  only  be 
removed  by  the  slow  process  of  picking  them  out  by  hand. 

In  the  winter  of  1829,  Cheever  Newhall,  Esq.,  furnished 
me  with  a  few  pieces  of  diseased  barley-straw,  each  of  which 
contained  several  small  whitish  maggots.  Since  that  time 
this  affection  of  the  barley  has  only  once  fallen  under  my 
notice,  though  I  have  reason  to  think  that  it  continues  to, 
prevail  in  many  parts  of  Massachusetts.  Each  maggot  was 
imbedded  in  the  thickened  and  solid  substance  of  the  stem, 
in  a  little  longitudinal  hollow,  of  the  shape  of  its  own  body ; 
and  its  presence  was  known  by  an  oblong  swelling  upon  the 
surface.  In  some  pieces  of  straw  the  swellings  were  so 
numerous  as  greatly  to  disfigure  the  stem,  the  circulation 
in  which  must  have  been  very  much  checked,  if  not  de- 
stroyed. Early  in  the  following  spring  these  maggots  en- 
tered the  pupa  or  chrysalis  state,  and  on  the  15th  of  June 
the  perfected  insects  began  to  make  their  escape  through 
minute  perforations  in  the  straw,  which  they  gnawed  for 
this  purpose.  Seven  of  these  little  holes  were  counted  in 
a  piece  of  straw  only  half  an  inch  in  length.  The  insects 
continued  to  release  themselves  from  their  confinement  till 
the  5th  of  July,  after  which  no  more  were  seen.  Mucb 
to  my  surprise,  they  proved  to  be  minute,  four-winged  flies, 
belonging  to  the  genus  Eurytoma.  Supposing  these  insects 
to  be  parasites,  in  accordance  with  the  known  habits  of 
others  of  the  same  family,  I  described  them  as  such,  under 
the  name  of  Ewrytoma  Hordei  (so  called  from  Hordeum, 
the  Latin  for  barley),  in  the  "  New  England  Farmer,"  for 
July  23,  1830,*  and  in  the  first  edition  of  this  work.  It 
was  then  my  belief  that  the  true  culprits,  or  original  cause 

»  Vol.  IX.  p.  2. 
70 


554  HYMENOPTERA. 

of  the  disease,  would  prove  to  be  some  species  of  Ceddomyia, 
allied  to,  but  distinct  from,  the  Hessian  fly ;  and  that  they, 
while  in  the  larva  or  pupa  state,  had  been  preyed  upon  and 
destroyed  by  the  Eurytoma.  The  larvae  of  the  Hessian  fly 
are  often  destroyed  by  a  somewhat  similar  Chalcidian  para- 
site, great  numbers  of  which  have  been  observed,  in  their 
winged  form,  in  wheat-fields,  and  have  then  been  mistaken 
for  Hessian  flies. 

The  body  of  the  Eurytoma  Hbrdei  is  jet-black,  and  slightly 
hairy.  The  head  and  thorax  are  opaque,  and  rough  with 
dilated  punctures.  The  hind  body  is  smooth  and  polished. 
The  tliighs,  shanks,  and  claw-joints  are  blackish ;  the  knees, 
and  the  other  joints  of  the  feet,  are  pale  honey-yellow.  The 
females  are  twelve  or  thirteen  hundredths  of  an  inch  long. 
The  males  are  rather  smaller,  and  are  distinguished  from  the 
females  by  the  following  characters.  They  have  no  piercer. 
The  joints  of  their  antennae  are  longer,  and  are  surrounded 
with  whorls  of  little  hairs.  The  hind  body  is  shorter,  less 
pointed  behind,  and  is  connected  with  the  thorax  by  a  longer 
stem  or  peduncle.  These  insects  are  very  active,  and  move 
by  little  leaps ;  but  the  hindmost  thighs  are  not  thickened. 
About  eight  years  ago,  some  of  these  insects,  that  had  come 
from  a  straw  bed  in  Cambridge,  were  shown  to  me.  They 
had  proved  very  troublesome  to  children  sleeping  on  the 
bed ;  their  bites  or  stings  being  followed  by  considerable  in- 
flammation and  irritation,  which  lasted  several  days.  So 
numerous  were  the  insects,  that  it  was  found  necessary  to 
empty  the  bed-tick  and  burn  the  straw.  Since  that  time, 
I  have  heard  nothing  more  either  of  the  insects  or  of  the 
disease  of  barley-straw  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

My  attention  was  again  called  to  the  history  of  the  barley- 
straw  insect  by  an  article  on  the  joint-worm,  published  at 
Albany  in  "  The  Cultivator,"  for  October,  1851.  The  ac- 
count given  in  this  magazine,  by  Mr.  Rives,  of  the  ravages 
of  the  joint-worm  in  the  wheat-fields  of  Virginia,  and  the 
remarks  by  Dr.  Fitch  on  the  peculiar  affection  of  the  wheat- 


THE    JOINT-WORM.  555 

straw  produced  by  this  worm,  led  me  to  suspect  that  the 
disease  was  identical  with  that  which  had  been  observed  in 
barley-straw,  and  that  it  originated  from  the  same  c.ause. 
In  the  article  above  named,  Dr.  Fitch  appears  to  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  disease  was  produced  by  some 
species  of  Cecidomyia.  He  found  the  disease  of  the  wheat- 
straw  to  be  situated  immediately  above  the  lower  joint,  in 
the  sheathing  base  of  the  leaf,  the  substance  of  which,  for 
a  distance  exceeding  half  an  inch,  was  much  swollen,  and 
was  changed  to  a  more  solid  and  wood-like  texture,  while 
the  surface  exhibited  several  long  pale  spots,  slightly  elevated 
like  a  blister.  The  hollow  of  the  stem  was  entirely  oblit- 
erated, at  some  parts,  by  the  pressure  of  the  enlarged  por- 
tion of  the  sheath,  and  was  hardly  visible  at  others.  Each 
of  the  blistered  spots  covered  an  elongated  cavity,  containing 
a  footless  worm  or  maggot,  about  ten  hundredths  of  an  inch 
long,  of  an  oval  form  rather  more  tapering  posteriorly  than 
towards  the  head,  and  divided  by  slight  constrictions  into 
thirteen  segments.  The  worm  was  soft,  shining,  of  a  uni- 
form milk-white  color,  with  a  small  V-shaped  brown  line 
marking  the  situation  of  the  mouth.  "  So  exactly,"  remarks 
Dr.  Fitch,  "  does  this  worm  in  its  form  and  appearance 
resemble  the  larvaB  of  the  Hessian  fly  and  other  species  of 
Cecidomyia  which  have  fallen  under  my  examination,  that  I 
entertain  no  doubt  it  pertains  to  the  same  genus  of  insects." 

On  the  16th  of  March,  1852,  F.  G.  Ruffin,  Esq.,  of 
Shadwell,  Virginia,  the  editor  of  "  The  Southern  Planter," 
sent  to  me  that  paper  for  July,  1851,  containing  some 
account  of  the  joint-worm,  and  with  it  a  few  samples  of 
diseased  wheat-straw.  A  much  larger  quantity  of  the 
straw,  soon  afterwards  received  from  him,  was  divided 
into  two  unequal  portions,  the  larger  of  which  was  sent 
to  Dr.  Fitch,  in  the  hope  that  between  us  something  defi- 
nite concerning  the  origin  of  the  disease  might  be  obtained. 
Upon  examining  my  samples,  I  found  that  the  disease 
was  not  invariably  confined  to  the  sheathing  base  of  the 


556  HYMENOPTERA. 

leaf,  but  that,  in  many  cases,  it  was  seated  in  the  joint 
itself,  the  whole  substance  of  which  became  enlarged  and 
distorted.  In  a  smaller  number  of  cases,  it  was  found  to 
occupy  the  culm  or  stem,  above  the  joint,  which  was 
swollen  so  as  to  form  an  irregular  gall-like  tumor,  while 
the  leaf-sheath  remained  unaffected.  These  woody  tumors 
had  several  little  cells  in  them,  varying  in  number  from 
six  to  ten  or  more ;  and  every  cell  contained  an  insect, 
in  the  pupa  or  chrysalis  state.  The  samples  of  straw 
reserved  for  myself  were  put  into  a  small  glass  jar,  to 
secure  the  insects  when  they  had  completed  their  transfor- 
mations. Early  in  May,  winged  insects  began  to  perfo- 
rate the  tumors  and  come  forth,  and  they  continued  to 
issue  during  ten  days  or  more.  Their  appearance  was 
probably  hastened  by  the  jar  being  kept  in  the  house,  in- 
stead of  being  exposed  to  the  air  abroad. 

These  insects  so  nearly  resemble,  in  form,  size,  and  color, 
the  Eurytoma  formerly  obtained  from  the  barley-straw,  that 
I  am  persuaded  they  are  at  least  mere  varieties  of  the 
same  species,  if  not  absolutely  identical.  The  only  ap- 
parent difference  between  them  consists  in  the  color  of  the 
fore  shanks ;  these,  in  the  wheat-insects,  being  pale  yellow, 
and  faintly  tinged  with  black  only  on  the  outer  edges,  in 
a  few  individuals.  Among  fifteen  specimens  only  one  male 
was  found,  and  this  did  not  appear  till  the  month  of  June. 
Dr.  Fitch  obtained  from  his  samples  of  straw  above  one 
hundred  specimens  of  the  same  kind  of  Eurytoma,  and  all 
of  them  females.  Among  them  he  found  another  Chal- 
cidian  insect,  a  species  of  Pteromalus,  probably  a  parasite 
of  the  Eurytoma,  and  has  favored  me  with  a  description 
of  it.  The  head  and  thorax  are  of  a  dark  metallic  green 
color;  the  abdomen  is  slightly  depressed,  polished,  purplish 
black  above,  bright  copper-colored  beneath.  The  antennas 
are  black,  except  the  basal  joint,  which  is  of  a  brilliant 
copper-color.  The  thighs  are  pale  yellow ;  the  shanks  and 
feet  blackish,  the  hind  pair  with  a  broad  pale  ring  around 


PARASITES    OF    THE    JOINT-WORM.  557 

the  bottom  of  the  shank  and  the  contiguous  part  of  the 
foot.  The  length  of  the  body  is  ten  hundredths  of  an 
inch,  being  somewhat  less  than  that  of  the  Eurytoma. 

From  my  samples  of  the  straw  I  have  obtained  another 
and  a  different  parasite,  belonging  to  the  same  family,  but 
to  the  genus  Torymus.  The  specimen  is  a  female,  and, 
like  others  of  the  same  genus,  it  is  provided  with  an  ex- 
serted  slender  piercer,  nearly  as  long  as  its  own  body. 
The  latter  is  about  as  long  as  that  of  the  Pteromalus  above 
described,  and  is  of  a  deep  black  color,  slightly  tinged 
with  green  on  the  face  and  thorax,  both  of  which  are 
rough  and  opaque,  while  the  hind  body  is  smooth  and  pol- 
ished. The  fore  wings  have  an  elongated  cloudy  spot 
near  the  middle,  and  the  oblique  branch  is  very  short. 
The  thighs,  claws,  and  the  antennae  except  the  basal  joint, 
are  blackish,  the  other  parts  of  the  legs  and  the  base  of 
the  antennae  are  pale  yellow.  The  hindmost  thighs  are 
much  thicker  than  the  others,  and  are  notched  beneath  the 
end.  The  eyes  have  a  dull  reddish  tinge,  perhaps  not 
their  true  color  in  life.  Professor  Cabell  has  sent  to  me 
some  specimens  of  this  Torymus^  including  a  male,  which 
differs  from  the  female  in  having  all  the  joints  of  the  an- 
tennae black. 

The  ravages  of  the  joint-worm  in  the  wheat-fields  of 
Virginia  are  said  to  have  been  first  observed  in  Albemarle 
County,  about  four  or  five  years  ago.  They  have  alarmingly 
increased  from  year  to  year,  and  have  extended  over  many 
parts  of  the  adjacent  counties,  becoming  more  aggravated 
each  time  that  they  are  renewed  in  the  same  place.  The 
loss  occasioned  thereby  often  amounts  to  one  third  of  the 
average  crop,  and  is  sometimes  much  greater ;  and  during 
the  present  season,  "  some  farmers  did  not  reap  as  much 
as  they  sowed."  These  statements  are  made  chiefly  on 
the  authority  of  Professor  J.  L.  Cabell,  of  the  University 
of  Virginia,  who  has  given  some  attention  to  the  natural 
history  of  the  joint- worm,  and  has  recently  communicated 


558  HYMENOPTERA. 

to  me  the  result  of  his  interesting  observations.  He  has 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  joint-worm  is  the  larva  of  a 
Hymenopterous,  and  not  of  a  Dipterous  insect.  He  finds 
that  the  parts  of  its  mouth  are  very  different  from  those 
of  the  dormant  larva  of  the  Hessian  fly  (the  latter  ex- 
tracted from  its  flax-seed  case  before  it  had  undergone  any 
change  of  form),  and  that  the  mouth  of  the  former  agrees 
essentially  with  that  of  the  larvae  obtained  from  galls  of 
the  oak.  In  the  mouth  of  the  joint-worm  he  observed  that 
"  the  mandibular  hooks  cross  each  other  on  the  middle  line," 
while  in  the  Hessian  fly  larva  the  "  two  hooks  are  directed 
downwards."  His  samples  of  diseased  wheat-straw  of  the 
previous  year  yielded  him,  in  the  spring,  numerous  speci- 
mens of  the  Eurytoma,  and  nothing  else.  A  few  specimens 
of  the  same  insect  were  developed  from  the  tumors  on 
plants  of  the  present  season,  thus  showing  that  "  a  small 
proportion  of  the  larvae  undergo  their  transformations  during 
the  summer."  Among  his  specimens  he  obtained  a  very 
few  Hymenopterous  insects,  differing  from  the  Eurytoma, 
and  probably  parasites.  In  several  instances  Professor 
Cabell  saw  a  small  semitransparent  whitish  worm,  scantily 
covered  with  hairs,  in  the  same  cell  with  a  lifeless  joint- 
worm,  and  adhering  to  its  body.  In  other  cases,  the  former 
kind  of  worm  or  larva  "  was  found  alone,  but  it  was  then 
of  a  larger  size,  and  there  were  almost  always  some  more 
or  less  unequivocal  signs  of  the  worm  having  fed  on  the 
joint-worm." 

Having  been  favored  by  Professor  Cabell  with  some  sam- 
ples of  wheat-straw,  containing  living  joint-worms,  I  have 
been  able  to  verify  his  observations  during  the  present  sum- 
mer, while  this  sheet  is  passing  through  the  press.  At  my 
request,  Professor  Jeffries  Wyman,  of  Harvard  College,  an 
accomplished  anatomist  and  a  skilful  microscopical  observer, 
has  examined  these  larvae,  and  also  some  of  the  parasitical 
worms,  found  in  the  straw,  and  has  made  for  me  several 
magnified  sketches  of  them.  Both  kinds  are  found  to  differ 


THE    JOINT-WORM.  559 

essentially  from  the  larvae  of  the  locust  and  of  the  willow 
gall-flies,  with  living  specimens  of  which  I  have  compared 
them.  Their  bodies  are  softer,  and  their  skins  more  delicate 
and  tender ;  and  the  form  of  the  head  and  structure  of  the 
mouth  are  entirely  unlike  those  of  the  Cecidomyian  larvae. 
The  true  joint-worm  varies  from  one  tenth  to  nearly  three 
twentieths  of  an  inch  in  length.  It  is  of  a  pale  yellowish 
white  color,  with  an  internal  dusky  streak,  and  is  destitute 
of  hairs.  The  head  is  round,  and  partially  retractile.  The 
jaws  are  lateral  and  hooked ;  they  meet  at  the  points,  and 
are  of  a  blackish  color,  and  apparently  of  a  horny  texture ; 
and  they  are  distinctly  to  be  seen  even  with  a  pocket  micro- 
scope. It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  these  joint-worms  are 
not  the  larvae  of  any  Dipterous  insect;  they  are  doubtless 
Hymenopterous  larvae,  and  probably,  from  their  abundance, 
those  of  the  foregoing  Eurytoma.  The  other  larvae,  few 
in  number  compared  with  the  joint-worms,  are  distinguished 
therefrom  by  their  inferior  size,  and  whiter  color,  and  by 
being  sparingly  covered  with  short  hairs.  Their  heads  are 
round,  are  provided  with  blackish  hooked  jaws,  and  have 
two  little  tubercles  on  the  front.  I  judge  them  to  be  the 
young  of  one  of  the  parasites,  probably  of  the  Torymus, 
described  on  a  former  page. 

The  foregoing  account  might  be  thought  to  afford  con- 
clusive evidence  that  the  Eurytoma  alone  was  the  author 
of  the  mischief  done  to  the  wheat  and  barley,  and  that  it 
is  not  a  parasitical  insect.  In  favor  of  this  conclusion,  we 
have  the  fact  that  hitherto  no  person  has  succeeded  in 
obtaining  from  the  diseased  wheat-straw  so  much  as  a 
single  specimen  of  Ceddomyia;  while  both  the  wheat  and 
the  barley  straw  have  yielded  to  several  observers,  in 
repeated  instances,  numerous  specimens  of  the  same  kind 
of  Eurytoma,  and  nothing  else,  saving  an  extremely  small 
number  of  lesser  parasites.  The  determination  of  this  dif- 
ficult and  interesting  question  is  of  much  importance  in  a 
scientific  and  an  economical  point  of  view.  The  great 


560  HYMENOPTERA. 

amount  of  property  that  is  at  stake,  and  the  serious  losses 
already  sustained  by  the  ravages  of  the  joint- worm,  render 
it  necessary  to  ascertain  the  true  history  of  the  insect  be- 
fore proceeding  to  take  measures  for  the  protection  of  our 
crops.  We  are  to  consider,  in  destroying  the  Eurytoma, 
whether  we  shall  kill  an  enemy  or  a  friend.  If  it  be  a 
parasite,  as  the  almost  universal  opinion  of  entomologists 
would  lead  us  to  believe,  it  would  be  the  height  of  folly 
to  attempt  to  interfere  with  its  operations.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  we  can  show  it  to  be  a  plant-eating  insect,  we 
may  use  such  means  as  are  in  our  power  towards  checking 
its  career,  not  only  with  perfect  safety,  but  with  eminent 
advantage.  In  this  case,  in  dealing  with  the  joint- worm, 
we  need  not  be  restrained  by  the  consideration  that  the 
diseased  straw  contains  also  some  truly  parasitical  larvae; 
for  these,  as  already  stated,  are  very  few  in  number  com- 
pared with  the  immense  swarms  of  the  Eurytoma  that  are 
annually  produced.  If  we  can  succeed  in  exterminating 
these  destroyers,  we  shall  have  no  occasion  for  the  services 
of  the  parasites. 

Admitting  the  Eurytoma  to  be  the  sole  cause  of  the 
mischief,  the  following  suggestions  will  be  found  useful  in 
arresting  its  ravages.  As  the  disease  is  seated  mostly  near 
the  base  of  the  straw,  in  or  near  the  second  or  the  third 
joint,  the  greater  part  of  the  diseased  portions  will  be  left  in 
the  stubble  when  the  grain  is  reaped.  Most  of  the  insects 
remain  unchanged  in  the  stubble  till  the  following  year.  *  If, 
then,  we  can  destroy  the  maggots  in  the  stubble  before  they 
have  acquired  wings  and  made  their  escape,  we  shall,  in  great 
measure,  restrain  their  further  propagation  and  increase ;  for 
it  is  in  the  winged  state  alone  that  insects  propagate  their 
kind.  It  has  been  found  in  Massachusetts  that  ploughing  in 
the  stubble  has  little  or  no  effect  upon  the  insects,  which  con- 
tinue alive  and  uninjured  under  the  slight  covering  of  earth, 
and  easily  make  their  way  to  the  surface  when  they  have 
completed  their  transformations. 


THE    JOINT-WORM.  561 

The  only  practicable  method  of  destroying  the  insects 
is  to  burn  the  stubble  containing  them.  All  the  straw 
and  refuse,  which  is  unfit  for  fodder,  should  likewise  be 
consumed,  because  it  will  be  found  occasionally  to  contain 
a  small  amount  of  diseased  portions  of  the  straw.  Some 
of  these  may  remain  among  the  gram  itself,  being  too 
heavy  to  be  separated  by  the  process  of  winnowing.  'These 
will  have  to  be  picked  out  by  hand.  Moreover,  as  some 
few  of  the  insects  are  transformed  to  flies  during  the  first 
summer,  and  these  will  suffice  to  continue  the  race,  it 
becomes  important  that  all  the  means  above  recommended 
should  be  continued  during  several  successive  years ;  and 
when  these  are  universally,  carefully,  and  thoroughly  put 
in  practice,  they  can  hardly  fail  to  exterminate  the  Ewry- 
toma.  A  free  use  of  manure  and  thorough  tillage,  by 
promoting  a  rapid  and  vigorous  growth  of  the  plant,  may 
render  it  less  liable  to  suffer  from  the  attacks  of  the  insect. 
Large  fields,  well  seeded,  will  probably  escape  better  than 
those  that  are  smaller  and  thinner  sown,  in  which  the 
insects,  when  about  to  lay  their  eggs,  can  penetrate  easily 
and  to  a  greater  distance.2 

[  2  In  the  "  American  Agriculturist,"  New  York,  August,  1861,  p.  235,  Dr.  Fitch 
reasserts  the  opinion  that  this  is  the  "joint-worm,"  and  enumerates  four  distinct 
species,  viz. :  — 

"Eurytoma  Hordd,  Harris  (the  black-legged  of  Massachusetts  barley-fly).  It 
has  the  shanks  of  all  the  legs  black." 

"Eurytoma  fulvipes,  Fitch,  Jour.  N.  Y.  St.  Ag.  Soc.,  Vol.  IX.  p.  115  (the  yellow- 
legged  or  New  York  barley-fly).  It  has  all  the  shanks  and  thighs  of  a  tawny-yel- 
low or  pale  orange  hue." 

"Eurytoma  Tritici,  Fitch,  Jour.  N.  Y.  St.  Ag.  Soc.,  Vol.  IX.  p.  115  (the  joint- 
worm  fly).  It  has  the  shanks  of  the  forward  legs  pale  yellow,  and  the  others  black." 

"Eurytoma  Secalis,  Fitch,  new  species  (the  rye-fly).  It  has  the  fore  and  hind 
shanks  pale  yellow,  and  the  middle  ones  black."  This  is  very  abundant  in  Con- 
necticut, and  without  doubt  hi  all  the  Eastern  States.  —  NOBTON.] 


71 


CHAPTER    VII. 

DIPTERA. 

GNATS  AND  FLIES.  —  MAGGOTS,  AND  THEIR  TRANSFORMATIONS.  —  GALL-GNATS. 
HESSIAN  FLY.  —  WHEAT-FLY.  —  REMARKS  UPON  AND  DESCRIPTIONS  OF  SOME 
OTHER  DIPTEROUS  INSECTS.  —  RADISH-FLY.  —  TWO-WINGED  GALL-FLIES,  AND 
FRUIT-FLIES.  —  CONCLUSION. 

UNDER  the  name  of  DIPTERA,  signifying  two-winged, 
are  included  all  the  insects  that  have  only  two  wings, 
and  are.  provided  with  two  little  knobbed  threads  in  the 
place  of  hind  wings,  and  a  mouth  formed  for  sucking  or 
lapping. 

Various  kinds  of  gnats  and  of  flies  are  therefore  the  in- 
sects belonging  to  this  order.  The  proboscis  or  sucker, 
wherewith  they  take  their  food,  is  placed  under  the  head, 
and  sometimes  can  be  drawn  up  and  concealed,  partly  or 
wholly,  within  the  cavity  of  the  mouth.  It  consists  of  a 
long  gutter,  usually  ending  with  two  fleshy  lips,  and  enclos- 
ing, in  the  channel  on  its  upper  side,  several  fine  bristles, 
from  two  to  six  in  number,  which  are  sometimes  as  sharp 
as  needles,  and  are  then  capable  of  inflicting  severe  punc- 
tures. These  piercing  bristles  really  take  the  place  of  the 
jaws  of  biting  insects,  and  hence  the  wounds  made  there- 
with, by  gnats  and  mosquitos,  are  very  properly  called  bites. 
The  saliva  of  these  insects,  flowing  into  the  wounds,  renders 
them  more  painful,  and  is  the  cause  of  the  inflammation  and 
itching  that  follow.  The  grooved  sheath  of  the  proboscis  is 
usually  very  large  and  fleshy  in  the  flies  that  only  lap  or  sip 
their  food.  Two  small,  jointed  feelers  are  commonly  found 
attached  to  the  base  of  the  proboscis. 

Gnats  and  flies  have  softer  bodies  than  most  other  winged 


LARV.E    OF    GNATS    AND    FLIES.  563 

insects.  The  head  is  large,  and  fastened  to  the  thorax  by  a 
very  slender  neck.  The  eyes,  especially  in  the  males,  are 
large,  and  occupy  the  whole  of  the  sides  of  the  head.  The 
antennae,  in  gnats  and  mosquitos,  are  rather  long,  slender, 
and  many-jointed ;  in  flies,  they  are  short,  consisting  of  only 
two  or  three  thick  joints,  the  last  of  which  often  bears  a 
little  bristle  or  delicate  feather.  The  wings  are  filmy,  like 
those  of  Hymenopterous  insects,  but  usually  have  a  greater 
number  of  veins  in  them.  Just  behind  the  wing-joints  there 
are  two  little,  convex  scales,  which  open  and  shut  with  the 
motion  of  the  wings ;  they  are  called  the  winglets.  The 
two  balancers  or  poisers  are  short  threads,  knobbed  at  the 
end,  and  placed  on  each  side  of  the  hindmost  part  of  the 
thorax,  immediately  behind  the  winglets.  The  thorax  is 
often  the  thickest  and  hardest  part  of  the  body;  to  it  the 
hind  body  is  more  or  less  closely  united,  and  the  latter,  in 
many  females,  ends  with  a  tapering,  retractile  tube,  where- 
with the  eggs  are  deposited.  The  legs  are  six  in  number, 
and  each  of  the  feet  is  provided  with  two  claws,  and  two 
or  three  little  cushions  or  skinny  palms,  by  the  help  whereof 
the  insects  can  walk  on  the  smoothest  surfaces,  and  on  the 
ceilings  of  rooms,  with  the  back  downwards,  as  easily  as 
when  upright ;  for  the  palms  act  like  suckers,  and  thus  pre- 
vent them  from  falling. 

Mosquitos  and  gnats  are  active  both  by  day  and  night, 
but  flies  take  wing  only  during  the  day.  The  life  of  these 
insects,  even  from  the  time  when  they  are  first  hatched,  is 
generally  very  short,  seldom  lasting  more  than  a  few  weeks  ; 
but  of  some  kinds  several  broods  are  produced  in  the  course 
of  a  single  summer,  and  often  in  the  greatest  profusion.  In 
certain  countries  and  seasons  they  multiply  so  fast,  and 
appear  in  such  immense  swarms,  as  to  become  a  serious 
annoyance  both  to  man  and  beast. 

The  young  insects,  hatched  from  the  eggs  of  gnats  and 
of  flies,  are  fleshy  larvae,  usually  of  a  whitish  color,  and 
without  legs.  They  are  commonly  called  maggots,  and 


564  DIPTERA. 

sometimes  are  mistaken  for  worms.  They  vary  a  good  deal 
in  their  forms,  structure,  habits,  and  transformations,  so  that 
it  is  somewhat  difficult  to  give  any  general  description  of 
them.  Their  breathing-holes  are  usually  situated  near  the 
extremities  of  the  body.  Aquatic  maggots  often  have  a 
tubular  tail,  through  which  they  breathe,  and  the  orifice  of 
this  tube  is  sometimes  surrounded  with  beautiful  feather- 
formed  appendages.  The  larvae  or  maggots  of  the  gnats, 
and  of  nearly  all  those  flies  which  have  four  or  six  bristles 
in  the  proboscis,  have  a  distinct  head  covered  with  a  horny 
shell.  Larvae  of  this  kind,  when  fully  grown,  cast  off  their 
skins  to  become  pupae  or  chrysalids.  These  pupaa  are  usu- 
ally of  a  brown  color,  and  somewhat  resemble  the  chrysa- 
lids of  certain  moths,  or  more  nearly  those  of  Hymenopte- 
rous  insects ;  for  their  short  and  imperfect  legs  and  wings, 
though  folded  on  the  breast,  are  not  immovably  fastened  to 
it.  They  commonly  have  several  small  thorns  on  each  end 
of  the  body,  and  a  row  of  smaller  prickles  across  each  of 
the  rings  of  the  back.  By  the  help  of  these  thorns  and 
prickles  they  work  their  way  out  of  the  places  wherein 
they  had  previously  lived,  just  before  they  burst  open  their 
pupa-skins  to  come  forth  in  the  perfected  or  winged  state. 
The  pupae  of  mosquitos  are  not  prickly,  but  they  possess 
the  power  of  swimming  or  tumbling  about  in  the  water,  by 
the  help  of  two  little  fins  on  their  tails.* 

The  larvae  of  the  Dipterous  insects  in  general  do  not  make 
cocoons ;  those  of  some  gnats  (MycelophilcR),  which  live  in 
tree  mushrooms,  or  boleti,  not  only  cover  themselves  with 
a  silken  web,  under  which  they  live,  but  also  spin  cocoons, 
wherein  they  undergo  their  transformations.  Some  of  the 
Cecidomyians  also  make  silken  cocoons.  The  larvae  of  the 
other  flies  are  not  so  variable  in  their  forms  as  the  foregoing. 
They  are  commonly  plump,  whitish  maggots,  obtuse  behind, 
and  tapering  before,  with  a  small  and  soft  head,  that  can  be 
drawn  within  the  fore  part  of  the  body.  They  take  their 

*  See  pages  4  and  5. 


GALL-GNATS.  565 

food  almost  entirely  by  suction,  for  their  jaws  are  merely 
two  little  hooks,  that  enable  them  to  fasten  themselves  upon 
the  substances  which  serve  for  their  nourishment.  They 
increase  rapidly  in  size,  and  when  they  are  fully  grown,  they 
change  their  forms,  without  casting  off  their  skins  at  all, 
merely  by  the  gradual  shortening  of  their  bodies,  which  take 
an  oblong  oval  shape,  and  turn  hard  and  brown  on  the  out- 
side. The  hardened  skin  of  the  larva  thus  becomes  a  shell 
or  kind  of  cocoon,  within  which  the  insect  is  afterwards 
changed  to  a  pupa,  having  its  imperfect  limbs  folded  on  its 
breast,  and  from  which,  in  due  time,  it  comes  forth  in  the 
form  of  a  fly,  by  forcing  off  one  end  of  the  shell.* 

The  far-famed  Hessian  fly,  and  the  wheat-fly  of  Europe 
and  of  this  country,  are  small  gnats  or  midges,  and  belong 
to  the  family  called  CECIDOMYIAD^:,  or  gall-gnats.  The  in- 
sects of  this  family  are  very  numerous,  and  most  of  them, 
in  the  maggot  state,  live  in  galls  or  unnatural  enlargements 
of  the  stems,  leaves,  and  buds  of  plants,  caused  by  the 
punctures  of  the  winged  insects  in  laying  their  eggs,  or  by 
the  irritation  of  the  maggots  hatched  therefrom.  The  Hes- 
sian fly,  wheat-fly,  and  some  others,  differ  from  the  majority 
in  not  producing  such  alterations  in  plants.  The  probos- 
cis of  these  insects  is  very  short,  and  does  not  contain  the 
piercing  bristles  found  in  the  long  proboscis  of  the  biting  gnats 
and  mosquitos.  Their  antennas  are  long,  composed  of  many 
little,  bead-like  joints,  which  are  more  distant  in  the  males 
than  in  the  other  sex;  and  each  joint  is  surrounded  with 
short  hairs.  Their  eyes  are  kidney-shaped.  Their  legs  are 
rather  long  and  very  slender.  Their  wings  have  only  two, 
three,  or  four  veins  in  them,  and  are  fringed  with  little  hairs 
around  the  edges ;  when  not  in  use,  they  are  generally  car- 
ried flat  on  the  back.  The  hind  body  of  the  females  often 
ends  with  a  retractile,  conical  tube,  wherewith  they  deposit 
their  eggs.  Their  young  are  little,  footless  maggots,  tapering 
at  each  end,  and  generally  of  a  deep  yellow  or  orange  color. 

*  See  page  5. 


566  DIPTERA. 

They  live  on  the  juices  of  plants,  and  undergo  their  trans- 
formations either  in  these  plants,  or  in  the  ground. 

The  transformations  of  these  insects  offer  some  peculiari- 
ties that  do  not  seem  to  have  been  described  by  European 
naturalists,  and  probably  are  not  well  understood  by  them. 
Three  modifications  in  the  process  have  been  observed  in 
this  country,  and  examples  of  these  are  affordeed  by  Cecido- 
myia  Solids,  destructor,  and  Tritid.  In  all  of  them  the  pupa 
has  the  limbs  and  wings  free  or  unconfined,  and  becomes 
active  shortly  before  its  final  change,  being  enabled  to  crawl 
out  of  the  place  where  it  had  hitherto  lodged,  when  about 
to  take  the  winged  form.  It  appears  also  that  these  Ceci- 
domyians  retain  the  larva-skin  when  the  insect  is  changed 
to  a  pupa ;  this  skin  undergoing  only  certain  alterations  in 
the  course  of  the  process,  without  being  thrown  off.  The 
abdominal  part  of  the  larva-skin  remains  with  little  or  no 
change  ;  the  fore  part  of  the  body  becomes  swollen,  shining, 
and  apparently  gelatinous,  and  allows  the  budding  limbs  and 
wings  of  the  pupa  to  push  outwards,  each  carrying  with  it  an 
enveloping  portion  of  the  skin,  which  by  extension  or  growth, 
or  by  both,  is  modified  so  as  to  suit  the  changed  condition 
of  the  insect.  This  peculiarity  was  first  made  known  to  me 
by  a  letter  from  Dr.  Asa  Fitch,  of  Salem,  New  York,  who 
has  paid  much  attention  to  the  natural  history  of  the  Ceci- 
domyians,  and  has  published  several  elaborate  essays  upon 
them  in  "  The  American  Quarterly  Journal  of  Agriculture 
and  Science,"  and  in  "  The  Transactions  of  the  New  York 
State  Agricultural  Society."  In  these  essays,  however,  the 
point  under  consideration  is  not  so  distinctly  stated  and  de- 
scribed as  in  his  letter.  I  am  also  indebted  to  him  for  galls, 
containing  larvae  of  the  willow  gall-fly.  These,  with  speci- 
mens of  the  Hessian  fly  in  the  flax-seed  state,  received  from 
him  and  from  other  correspondents,  have  enabled  me  to 
verify  the  result  of  his  observations. 

The  willow  gall-gnat,  or  gall-fly,  is  one  of  the  largest  of 
our  species.  It  has  been  described  and  figured  by  Dr.  Fitch, 


THE    WILLOW    GALL-FLY.  567 

under  the  name  of  Ceddomyia  Solids*  On  account  of  the 
size  of  the  larva  and  the  ease  with  which  it  may  be  raised, 
it  is  an  excellent  object  for  the  observation  of  the  transfor- 
mation that  is  peculiar  to  it  and  to  other  species  of  the  genus. 
It  inhabits  a  small  woody  gall,  growing  at  the  ends  of  the 
slender  twigs  of  the  American  basket- willow  {Salix  rigida), 
and  other  dwarf  willows.  This  kind  of  gall  is  of  an  oval 
shape,  about  three  quarters  of  an  inch  long,  by  three  eighths 
of  an  inch  thick,  and  is  terminated  by  a  brittle  conical  beak, 
which  seems  to  me  to  consist  of  the  unexpanded  and  dry 
terminal  bud  of  the  twig.  Upon  being  cut  open  in  the 
winter  or  spring,  a  longitudinal  channel  will  be  found  hi  the 
middle,  extending  from  the  apex  of  the  beak  nearly  to  the 
base  of  the  gall,  and  lined  in  the  upper  part  with  a  delicate 
silken  web.  Within  this  hollow  is  lodged  a  single  orange- 
colored  maggot,  about  one  fifth  of  an  inch  long.  In  the 
spring  this  maggot  takes  the  pupa  form,  the  approaching 
change  being  marked  by  an  alteration  of  the  color  of  the 
anterior  segments,  which  from  orange  become  red,  shining, 
and  swollen,  as  if  distended  with  blood.  Within  a  few  hours 
after  this  change  of  color,  rudimentary  legs,  wings,  and 
antennae,  begin,  as  it  were,  to  bud  and  put  forth,  and  rapidly 
grow  to  their  full  pupal  dimensions ;  and  thus  the  transfor- 
mation to  the  pupa  is  effected  without  any  moulting  of  the 
skin  of  the  larva.  In  a  few  days,  the  pupa  works  its  way 
upwards,  bursts  through  the  silken  film,  and  rests  half-way 
out  of  the  orifice  of  the  beaked  summit  of  the  gall,  where 
it  casts  off  and  leaves  its  pupa-skin,  and  appears  in  its 
winged  form.  This  little  gnat  or  fly  is  of  a  deep  black 
color  above,  paler  and  downy  beneath,  with  livid  legs  and 
smoky  wings.  The  length  of  its  body  is  a  little  over  one 
fifth  of  an  inch,  and  its  wings  expand  rather  more  than  three 
tenths  of  an  inch. 

The    Ceddomyia  Robinice^  of  Professor  Haldeman,f  is  a 

*  American  Quarterly  Journal  of  Agriculture  and  Science,  Vol.  I.  p.  263. 
t  American  Journal  of  Agriculture  and  Science,  Vol.  VI.  p.  193. 


568  DIPTERA. 

much  smaller  and  more  common  species,  inhabiting  the 
locust-tree.  During  the  month  of  August,  some  of  the 
leaves  of  this  tree  will  be  found  to  have  one  edge  tliickened 
in  substance  and  rolled  over,  so  as  to  form  an  oblong  cavity, 
cylindrical  in  the  middle,  and  tapering  at  each  end.  This  is 
the  work  of  the  larvae  or  young  Cecidomyians,  two  or  three 
of  which  will  sometimes  be  found  in  each  cavity,  where  also 
they  complete  their  transformations.  The  larva  is  a  maggot 
of  a  whitish  color,  faintly  tinged  with  orange,  particularly 
towards  the  head.  The  pupa  or  chrysalis  is  not  contained 
within  a  cocoon.  The  fly  measures  three  twentieths  of  an 
inch  in  length.  It  is  orange-colored,  with  dusky  antennae 
and  wings,  three  dusky  lines  on  the  thorax,  and  two  dusky 
spots  on  the  sides  of  the  body.  An  apparent  interruption 
in  one  of  the  veins  of  the  wings,  noticed  by  Professor  Hal- 
deman,  is  not  peculiar  to  this  insect,  but  may  be  seen,  more 
or  less  distinctly,  in  our  other  species  of  Cecidomyia. 

The  Hessian  fly  was  scientifically  described  by  Mr.  Say, 
in  1817,  under  the  name  of  Ceci- 
domyia destructor*  (Fig.  257).     It 
obtained  its  common  name  from  a 
supposition  that  it  was  brought  to 
this  country,  in  some  straw,  by  the 
Hessian  troops  under  the  command 
of  Sir  William   Howe  in   the  war 
of  the  Revolution.!     This  supposi- 
tion, however,  has  been  thought  to 
be  erroneous,  because  the  early  in- 
quiries made  to  discover  the  Hessian 
fly  in   Germany   were  unsuccessful ;  and,   in   consequence 
thereof,  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  in  his  report  to  the  British  gov- 
ernment, in  1789,  stated  that  "  no  such  insect  could  be  found 
to  exist  in  Germany  or  any  other  part  of  Europe."  :£     It 

1  .Journal  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  Vol.  I.  p.  46. 
f  Dobson's  Encyclopaedia,  Vol.  VIII.  p.  491. 

J  Encyclopedia  Britannica,  and  Dobson's  Encyclopedia,  Vol.  VIII.,  Article 
Iltuian  Fly. 


HISTORY    OF    THE    HESSIAN    FLY.  569 

appears,  however,  that  the  same  insect,  or  one  exactly  like 
it  in  habits,  had  been  long  known  in  the  vicinity  of  Geneva ; 
an  account  of  it  may  be  found  in  DuhamePs  "  Practical 
Treatise  of  Husbandry,"  *  and  in  a  communication  f  made 
to  the  Duke  of  Dorset,  in  1788,  by  the  Royal  Society  of 
Agriculture  of  France. 

In  the  year  1833  the  wheat  in  Austria  and  in  Hungary 
was  considerably  injured  by  an  insect  of  the  same  kind, 
supposed  to  be  the  Hessian  fly  by  the  Baron  Kollar.J  More- 
over, Mr.  E.  C.  Herrick,  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  has 
published  an  account  §  of  the  discovery  of  the  true  Hessian 
fly,  by  Mr.  James  D.  Dana,  in  Minorca,  near  Toulon  in 
France,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Naples,  in  the  year  1834. 
Nothing  has  yet  been  found  relative  to  the  existence  of  the 
Hessian  fly  in  America  before  the  Revolution.  It  was  first 
observed  in  the  year  1776,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Sir  Wil- 
liam Howe's  debarkation  on  Staten  Island,  and  at  Flat  Bush, 
on  the  west  end  of  Long  Island.  Having  multiplied  in 
these  places,  the  insects  gradually  spread  over  the  southern 
parts  of  New  York  and  Connecticut,  and  continued  to  pro- 
ceed inland  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  a  year. 
They  reached  Saratoga,  two  hundred  miles  from  their  origi- 
nal station,  in  1789.  Dr.  Chapman  says,  that  they  were 
found  west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains  in  1797 ;  from  their 
progress  through  the  country,  having  apparently  advanced 
about  thirty  miles  every  summer.  Wheat,  rye,  barley,  and 
even  timothy  grass,  were  attacked  by  them;  and  so  great 
were  their  ravages  in  the  larva  state,  that  the  cultivation  of 
wheat  was  abandoned  in  many  places  where  they  had  estab- 
lished themselves.  || 

*  Page  90  (4to,  Lond.,  1759).  See  also  his  Elements  of  Agriculture,  Vol.  I.  p. 
269  (8vo,  Lond.,  1664). 

t  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  and  Dobson's  Encyclopaedia,  Vol.  VIII.,  Article 
Hessian  Fly. 

\  Treatise,  pp.  118, 119. 

§  Silliman's  American  Journal  of  Science,  Vol.  XLI.  p.  153. 

||  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  and  Dobson's  Encyclopaedia,  Vol.  VIII.,  Article 

72 


570  DIPTERA. 

In  a  communication  by  Mr.  J.  W.  Jeffreys,  published  in 
the  sixth  volume  of  Duel's  "  Cultivator,"  it  is  stated,  that 
soon  after  the  battle  of  Guilford,  in  North  Carolina,  the 
wheat  crops  were  destroyed  by  the  Hessian  fly  in  Orange 
County,  through  which  the  British  army,  composed  in  part 
of  Hessian  soldiers,  had  previously  passed.  Although  it  is 
possible  that,  in  this  instance,  the  chinch-bug  may  have  been 
mistaken  for  the  Hessian  fly,  the  remark  shows  how  preva- 
lent was  the  belief  respecting  the  introduction  of  the  latter. 
The  foregoing  statements,  taken  in  connection  with  the 
habits  of  the  Hessian  fly,  induce  me  to  think  that  the  com- 
mon opinion  relative  to  its  origin  is  deserving  of  some 
credit. 

The  head,  antennae,  and  thorax  of  this  fly  are  black. 
The  hind  body  is  tawny,  more  or  less  widely  marked  with 
black  on  each  ring,  and  clothed  with  fine  grayish  hairs. 
The  egg-tube  of  the  female  is  rose-colored.  The  wings  are 
blackish,  except  at  the  base,  where  they  are  tawny  and  very 
narrow ;  they  are  fringed  with  short  hairs,  and  are  rounded 
at  the  tip.  The  legs  are  pale  red  or  brownish,  and  the 
feet  are  black.  The  body  measures  about  one  tenth  of  an 
inch  in  length,  and  the  wings  expand  one  quarter  of  an  inch, 
or  more.  After  death,  the  hind  body  contracts  and  becomes 
almost  entirely  black. 

The  Hessian  fly  is  a  true  Cecidomyia,  differing  from  Lasi- 
optera  in  the  shortness  of  the  first  joint  of  its  feet,  and  in 
the  greater  length  of  its  antennae,  the  bead-like  swellings 
whereof  are  also  more  distant  from  each  other,  especially 
in  the  males.  According  to  Mr.  Herrick,  the  number  of 
the  joints  of  the  antenna  varies  "from  fourteen  to  seven- 
teen, besides  the  basal  joint,  which  appears  double."  As 
in  other  species  of  Ceddomyia,  the  form  of  the  joints  differs 
according  to  the  sex;  those  of  the  male  being  globular, 
and  those  of  the  female,  except  at  base,  oblong  oval.  In 
both  they  are  surrounded  with  whorls  of  short  hairs.  The 
difference  in  the  antennae  of  the  sexes  has  been  pretty  well 


THE    HESSIAN    FLY.  571 

represented  by  Mr.  Lesueur,  in  the  plate  designed  to  accom- 
pany Mr.  Say's  description  of  the  insect. 

The  following  brief  history  of  the  habits  and  transfor- 
mations of  the  Hessian  fly  will  be  found  to  agree  essen- 
tially with  the  excellent  observations  on  this  insect,  written 
in  the  year  1797,  by  Dr.  Isaac  Chapman,  and  published 
in  the  fifth  volume  of  the  "  Memoirs  of  the  Philadelphia 
Society  for  Promoting  Agriculture,"  and  with  the  more 
full  and  equally  valuable  history  of  the  insect,  by  Jona- 
than N.  Havens,  Esq.,  contained  in  the  first  volume  of 
the  "  Transactions  of  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of 
Agriculture,  &c.,  in  New  York."  Mr.  Herrick  has  kindly 
permitted  me  to  make  free  use  of  his  valuable  account  of 
this  insect,  contained  in  the  forty-first  volume  of  "  The 
American  Journal  of  Science,"  and  of  other  information 
communicated  by  him  to  me  in  various  letters.  He  has 
spent  some  time  in  carefully  observing  the  habits  of  the 
fly,  during  many  years  in  succession,  after  having  fitted 
himself  for  the  task  by  the  study  of  the  natural  history 
of  insects  in  general.  His  statements  therefore  may  be 
relied  upon,  as  in  the  main  correct.  Moreover,  they  are 
corroborated  by  the  observations  of  many  other  persons, 
published  in  various  works,  which  have  been  consulted  in 
the  course  of  my  investigations. 

Of  this  insect,  two  broods  or  generations  are  brought  to 
maturity  in  the  course  of  a  year,  and  the  flies  appear  in 
the  spring  and  autumn,  but  rather  earlier  in  the  Southern 
and  Middle  States  than  in  New  England.  The  transfor- 
mations of  some  in  each  brood  appear  to  be  retarded  beyond 
the  usual  time,  as  is  found  to  be  the  case  with  many  other 
insects ;  so  that  the  life  of  these  individuals,  from  the  egg 
to  the  winged  state,  extends  to  a  year  or  more  in  length, 
whereby  the  continuation  of  the  species  in  after  years  is 
made  more  sure.  It  has  frequently  been  asserted,  that  the 
flies  lay  their  eggs  on  the  grain  in  the  ear ;  but  whether 
this  be  true  or  not,  it  is  certain  that  they  do  lay  their  eggs 


572  DIPTERA. 

on  the  young  plants,  and  long  before  the  grain  is  ripe; 
for  many  persons  have  witnessed  and  testified  to  this  fact. 
In  the  New  England  States,  winter  wheat,  as  it  is  called,  is 
usually  sown  about  the  first  of  September.  Towards  the  end 
of  this  month,  and  in  October,  when  the  grain  has  sprouted, 
and  begins  to  show  a  leaf  or  two,  the  flies  appear  in  the 
fields,  and,  having  paired,  begin  to  lay  their  eggs,  in  which 
business  they  are  occupied  for  several  weeks. 

The  following  interesting  account  of  the  manner  in  which 
this  is  done  was  written  by  Mr.  Edward  Tilghman,  of 
Queen  Ann  County,  Maryland,  and  was  published  in  the 
eighth  volume  of  "  The  Cultivator,"  in  May,  1841.  "  By 
the  second  week  of  October,  the  first-sown  wheat  being 
well  up,  and  having  generally  put  forth  its  second  and 
third  blades,  I  resorted  to  my  field  in  a  fine  warm  fore- 
noon, to  endeavor  to  satisfy  myself,  by  ocular  demonstra- 
tion, whether  the  fly  did  deposit  the  egg  on  the  blades  of 
the  growing  plant.  Selecting  a  favorable  spot  to  make 
my  observation,  I  placed  myself  in  a  reclining  position  in 
a  furrow,  and  had  been  on  the  watch  but  a  minute  or 
two  before  I  discovered  a  number  of  small  black  flies 
alighting  and  sitting  on  the  wheat  plants  around  me,  and 
presently  one  settled  on  the  ridged  surface  of  a  blade  of 
a  plant  completely  within  my  reach  and  distinct  observa- 
tion. She  immediately  began  depositing  her  eggs  in  the 
longitudinal  cavity  between  the  little  ridges  of  the  blade. 
I  could  distinctly  see  the  eggs  ejected  from  a  kind  of  tube 
or  sting.  After  she  had  deposited  eight  or  ten  eggs,  I 
easily  caught  her  upon  the  blade,  and  wrapped  her  up  in 
a  piece  of  paper.  I  then  proceeded  to  take  up  the  plant, 
with  as  much  as  I  conveniently  could  of  the  circumjacent 
earth,  and  wrapped  it  all  securely  in  a  piece  of  paper. 
After  that  I  continued  my  observations  on  the  flies,  caught 
several  similarly  occupied,  and  could  see  the  eggs  uniformly 
placed  in  the  longitudinal  cavities  of  the  blades  of  the. 
wheat;  their  appearance  being  that  of  minute  reddish 


EGGS    OF    THE    HESSIAN    FLY.  573 

specks.  My  own  mind  being  thus  completely  and  folly 
satisfied  as  to  the  mode  in  which  the  egg  was  deposited, 
I  proceeded  directly  to  my  dwelling,  and  put  the  plant 
with  the  eggs  upon  it  in  a  large  glass  tumbler,  adding  a 
little  water  to  the  earth,  and  secured  the  vessel  by  cover- 
ing it  with  paper,  so  that  no  insect  could  get  access  to 
the  interior.  The  paper  was  sufficiently  perforated  with 
pin-holes  for  the  admission  of  air.  The  tumbler  with  its 
contents  was  daily  watched  by  myself  to  discover  the  hatch- 
ing of  the  eggs.  About  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  day 
from  the  deposit  of  the  eggs,  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  dis- 
cover a  very  small  maggot  or  worm,  of  a  reddish  cast, 
making  its  way  with  considerable  activity  down  the  blade, 
and  saw  it  till  it  disappeared  between  the  blade  and  stem 
of  the  plant.  This,  I  have  no  doubt,  was  the  produce  of 
one  of  the  eggs,  and  would,  I  presume,  have  hatched 
much  sooner,  had  the  plant  remained  in  the  field.  It  was 
my  intention  to  have  carried  on  the  experiment,  by  endeav- 
oring to  hatch  out  the  insect  from  the  flax-seed  state  into 
the  perfect  fly  again ;  but  being  called  from  home,  the  plant 
was  suffered  to  perish.  The  fly  that  I  caught  on  the  blade 
of  the  wheat,  as  above  stated,  I  enclosed  in  a  letter  to  Mr. 
John  S.  Skinner,  the  editor  of  '  The  American  Farmer,'  of 
Baltimore,  who  pronounced  it  to  be  a  genuine  Hessian  fly, 
and  identical  in  appearance  with  others  recently  received 
from  Virginia." 

Dr.  Chapman  agrees  with  this  writer  in  saying,  that  the 
Hessian  fly  lays  her  eggs  in  the  small  creases  of  the  young 
leaves  of  the  wheat.  Mr.  Havens  states,  that  the  fly  lays 
her  eggs  on  the  leaves.  In  the  fortieth  number  of  "  The 
Connecticut  Farmer's  Gazette,"  Mr.  Herrick  says :  "  I  have 
repeatedly,  both  in  autumn  and  in  spring,  seen  the  Hessian 
fly  in  the  act  of  depositing  eggs  on  wheat,  and  have  always 
found  that  she  selects  for  this  purpose  the  leaves  of  the 
young  plant.  The  eggs  are  laid  in  various  numbers  on 
the  upper  surface  of  the  strap-shaped  portion  (or  blade) 


574  DIPTERA. 

of  the  leaf."  His  remarks  in  Professor  Silliman's  Journal 
are  to  the  same  effect.  Other  authorities  on  this  point 
might  be  mentioned ;  but  the  foregoing  are  sufficient,  in 
my  opinion,  to  establish  the  fact,  that  the  Hessian  fly  lays 
her  eggs  on  the  leaves  of  wheat  soon  after  the  plants  are  up. 
"  The  number  on  a  single  leaf,"  says  Mr.  Herrick,  "  is  often 
twenty  or  thirty,  and  sometimes  much  greater.  In  these 
cases  many  of  the  larvae  must  perish.  The  egg  is  about  a 
fiftieth  of  an  inch  long,  and  four  thousandths  of  an  inch  in 
diameter,  cylindrical,  translucent,  and  of  a  pale  red  color. 
Mr.  Tilghman  was  correct  in  supposing  that  the  eggs  would 
hatch  in  less  than  fifteen  days,  under  favorable  circum- 
stances ;  for,  if  the  weather  be  warm,  they  commonly  hatch 
in  four  days  after  they  are  laid. 

The  maggots  (Fig.  258,  natural  size),  when  they  first 
come  out  of  the  shells,  are  of  a  pale  red  color. 
Forthwith  they  crawl  down  the  leaf,  and  work 
their  way  between  it  and  the  main  stalk,  passing 
downwards  till  they  come  to  a  joint,  just  above 
wliich  they  remain,  a  little  below  the  surface  of 
the  ground,  with  the  head  towards  the  root  of 
the  plant.  Having  thus  fixed  themselves  upon 
the  stalk,  they  become  stationary,  and  never 
move  from  the  place  till  their  transformations 
are  completed.  They  do  not  eat  the  stalk, 
neither  do  they  penetrate  within  it,  as  some  persons  have 
supposed,  but  they  lie  lengthwise  upon  its  surface,  cov- 
ered by  the  lower  part  of  the  leaves,  and  are  nourished 
wholly  by  the  sap,  which  they  appear  to  take  by  suction. 
They  soon  lose  their  reddish  color,  turn  pale,  and  will 
be  found  to  be  clouded  with  whitish  spots  ;  and  through 
their  transparent  skins  a  greenish  stripe  may  be  seen  in 
the  middle  of  their  bodies.  As  they  increase  in  size,  and 
grow  plump  and  firm,  they  become  imbedded  in  the  side 
of  the  stem,  by  the  pressure  of  their  bodies  upon  the 
growing  plant.  One  maggot  thus  placed  seldom  destroys 


THE    FLAX-SEED    STATE.  575 

the  plant ;  but  when  two  or  three  are  fixed  in  this  manner 
around  the  stem,  they  weaken  and  impoverish  the  plant, 
and  cause  it  to  fall  down,  or  to  wither  and  die.  They 
usually  come  to  their  full  size  in  five  or  six  weeks,  and 
then  measure  about  three  twentieths  of  an  inch  in  length. 
Their  skin  now  gradually  hardens,  becomes  brownish,  and 
soon  changes  to  a  bright  chestnut-color.  This  change  usu- 
ally happens  about  the  first  of  December. 

The  insect,  in  this  form,  has  been  commonly  likened  to  a 
flax-seed  (Fig.  259,  natural  size  and  magnified, 
larva  on  the  left).  Hence  "many  observers 
speak  of  this  as  the  flax-seed  state."  Others 
regard  it  as  the  beginning  of  the  pupa  state, 
wherein  the  condition  of  the  insect  is  analogous 
to  the  immature  pupa  (boule  allongSe)  of  com- 
mon flies.  Such  indeed  has  been  my  own  im- 
pression concerning  it ;  and  even  so  it  seems  to 
have  been  regarded  by  Mr.  Herrick,  although  he 
was  well  aware  of  the  actual  form  of  the  insect  included  with- 
in this  "leathery"  outer  skin  of  the  larva,  and  of  all  its  subse- 
quent changes.  While  this  change  of  the  color  and  texture 
of  the  skin  is  going  on,  the  body  of  the  insect,  as  remarked 
by  Mr.  Herrick,  "  gradually  cleaves  from  the  dried  skin,  and,, 
in  the  course  of  two  or  three  weeks,  is  wholly  detached." 

In  a  letter  dated  February  21,  1843,  he  alludes  more 
explicitly  to  the  condition  of  the  insect,  in  these  words: 
"  In  two  or  three  weeks  after  this  change  of  color,  the  ani- 
mal within  becomes  entirely  detached  from  the  old  larva- 
skin,  and  lies  a  motionless  grub."  Accordingly,  when  this 
dried  skin  or  flax-seed  case  is  opened,  the  insect  will  be 
found  loose  within  it,  and  still  retaining  the  maggot  form, 
as  stated  by  Mr.  Herrick,  Mr.  Worth,*  and  Professor 

*  Mr.  James  Worth,  writing  on  this  insect  in  1820,  remarked  that  "  as  soon  as  it 
changes  to  the  flax-seed  color,  by  rolling  it  lightly  with  the  finger,  the  tegument 
can  be  taken  off;  the  worm  will  then  appear  with  a  greenish  stripe  through  it, 
which  is  evidently  the  substance  extracted  from  the  plant."  (American  Farmer, 
Vol.  II.  p.  180.) 


576  DIPTERA. 

Cabcll.*  Kollar  alludes  to  the  unchanged  condition  of  the 
insect  within  this  case,  in  the  European  specimens  which 
he  had  examined.!  Mr.  Westwood  makes  the  following 
remarks  upon  some  from  Vienna  that  were  in  his  possession : 
"  The  insects  are  enclosed  in  a  leathery  case,  and  on  open- 
ing them  I  discovered  the  larvae  shrivelled  up  and  dead."  J 
Referring  to  Mr.  Say's  account  of  the  Hessian  fly,  and  its 
flax-seed  case,  Mr.  Westwood  says,  "  It  is  not  described  in 
what  manner  this  case  is  formed."  That  it  really  consists 
of  the  loosened  outer  skin  of  the  maggot  is  evident  from  its 
shape  and  structure.  It  has  nearly  the  same  form  and  size, 
is  convex  on  both  sides,  and  retains  traces  of  the  former 
segments  4 in  the  transverse  lines  wherewith  it  is  marked. 
This  flax-seed  shell  has  been  correctly  called  a  puparium, 
or  pupa-case,  because  the  pupa  is  subsequently  matured 
within  it. 

Dr.  Chapman  repeatedly  alludes  to  the  pupa,  or  chrysalis 
as  he  calls  it,  and  to  "  the  outward  coat "  of  the  larva  "  be- 
coming a  hard  shell  or  covering  for  the  chrysalis";  by  which 
we  perceive  that  he  was  acquainted  with  the  origin  and 
office  of  the  one,  and  the  condition  of  the  other.  But  as  the 
true  figure  of  the  included  insect  is  concealed,  and  cannot1 
be  determined  without  opening  the  puparium,  "  it  is  custom- 
ary," as  stated  by  Messrs.  Kirby  and  Spence,§  "  in  speaking 
of  pupae  of  this  description,  to  refer  solely  to  the  exterior 
covering."  Agreeably  to  this  common  usage,  sanctioned  by 
the  best  entomologists  of  our  time,  the  flax-seed  case,  or 
puparium,  has  been  commonly  denominated  the  pupa,  even 
by  such  writers  as  Mr.  Say,  to  whom  the  real  nature  of  its 
contents  must  have  been  well  known. 

In  the  letter  before  mentioned,  Mr.  Herrick  thus  contin- 
ued his  account  of  the  transformations  of  the  insect.  "  The 

•  See  page  667. 

t  Hollar's  Treatise,  p.  121. 

Note  in  Hollar's  Treatise,  p.  121.     See  also  Westwood's  Modern  Classification 
of  IiMecta,  Vol.  II.  p.  620. 
t  Introduction  to  Entomology,  Vol.  HI.  p.  268. 


TRANSFORMATIONS    OF    THE    HESSIAN    FLY.      577 

process  of  growth  goes  on,  and,  by  and  by,  on  opening  the 
leathery  maggot-skin,  now  a  puparium,  you  find  the  pupa 
so  far  advanced  that  some  of  the  members  of  the  future  fly 
are  discernible  through  the  scarf  which  envelopes  and  fetters 
it  on  all  sides."  In  his  observations  communicated  to  the 
Commissioner  of  Patents  in  1844,*  he  referred  to  the  same 
process  in  the  following  words :  "  Within  this  shell  (the 
flax-seed  case)  the  pupa  gradually  advances  towards  the 
winged  state ;  it  contracts  in  length,  but  not  in  breadth ;  and 
its  skin  appears  covered  with  minute  elevations.  Just  be- 
fore evolution  (of  the  fly),  we  find  the  pupa  invested  in  a 
delicate  membrane  or  scarf,  which  not  long  previous  was 
its  outer  skin,  through  which  many  parts  of  the  future  fly 
may  be  distinctly  seen." 

From  the  foregoing  passages,  it  appears  that  the  transi- 
tion of  the  insect,  within  the  flax-seed  case,  from  the  form 
of  a  larva  or  maggot  to  that  of  a  mature  pupa,  takes  place 
only  a  short  time  before  its  final  transformation  to  a  fly, 
that  is,  towards  the  end  of  April  or  beginning  of  May ;  and 
that  the  scarf  or  proper  skin  of  this  pupa  is  the  same  as 
that  wherein  the  body  of  the  insect  had  been  previously 
enveloped.  In  this  respect,  the  Hessian  fly  agrees  in  its 
transformations  with  the  willow  gall-fly ;  and  doubtless  the 
transition  in  question  is  effected  in  the  same  way  as  in  that 
insect.  But  the  larva  of  the  Hessian  fly  does  not  spin  a 
silken  web  or  cocoon  like  that  of  the  willow  gall-fly  and 
some  other  Cecidomyians ;  and  it  differs  from  these  insects 
also  in  being  finally  invested  with  two  skins,  the  outer 
one,  when  detached,  serving  instead  of  a  cocoon  for  the 
included  insect;  while  the  inner  one,  of  a  much  thinner 
and  more  delicate  texture,  becomes  the  true  skin  of  the 
matured  pupa. 

Towards  the  end  of  April  and  in  the  fore  part  of  May, 
or  as  soon  as  the  weather  becomes  warm  enough  in  the 
spring,  the  insects  are  transformed  to  flies.  They  make 

*  Report,  p.  163. 
73 


578  DIPTERA. 

their  escape  from  their  winter  quarters  by  breaking  through 
one  end  of  their  shells  and  the  remains  of  the  leaves  around 
them.  In  the  "  Observations  on  the  Hessian  Fly,"  written 
by  Jonathan  N.  Havens,  Esq.,  it  is  stated,  that,  "  whenever 
the  fly  has  been  hatched  in  the  house,  it  always  comes 
forth  from  its  brown  case  wrapt  in  a  thin  white  skin,  which 
it  soon  breaks,  and  is  then  at  liberty " ;  and  Mr.  Havens 
supposes  that  the  same  thing  occurs  when  the  transforma- 
tion takes  place  abroad.  Mr.  Herrick  states,  that  this 
skin  or  "  scarf,"  as  he  calls  it,  "  splits  on  the  thorax  or 
back,"  and  the  fly  is  disengaged  from  it  by  working  through 
the  rent. 

This  process,  and  the  appearance  of  the  insect  through 
the  pupa-skin,  is  fully  described  in  his  letter  of  the  21st 
of  February,  1843,  from  which  the  following  extract  is 
taken.  It  is  from  a  memorandum  made  May  12,  1837. 
"  On  looking  over  culms  of  wheat,  which  ripened  last  July, 
I  found  a  puparium  of  the  Hessian  fly ;  began  to  cut  it 
open;  found  within  a  fly  nearly  matured.  Opened  only 
the  anterior  part  of  the  puparium ;  but  the  animal  soon 
squirmed  itself  out,  enveloped  in  a  thin  scarf.  The  pupa- 
rium was  left  entirely  clean.  —  The  animal  worked  its  abdo- 
men back  and  forth,  and,  in  about  twenty  minutes,  was 
detached  from  the  scarf."  In  one  instance,  Mr.  Herrick 
found  the  empty  scarf-skin  "attached  to  one  end  of  the 
puparium."  Ordinarily,  however,  the  insect  seems  to  crawl 
entirely  out  of  the  puparium,  or  flax-seed  shell,  before  dis- 
engaging itself  from  the  pupa-skin,  as  stated  above  by  Mr. 
Havens.  Upon  examining  a  puparium  after  the  escape 
of  the  insect,  I  could  not  discover  any  vestige  of  larva  or 
pupa  skin  within  it.  It  was  left  entirely  empty. 

Very  soon  after  the  flies  come  forth  in  the  spring,  they 
are  prepared  to  lay  their  eggs  on  the  leaves  of  the  wheat 
sown  in  the  autumn  before,  and  also  on  the  spring-sown 
wheat,  that  begins,  at  this  time,  to  appear  above  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground.  They  continue  to  come  forth  and  lay 


HABITS    OF    THE    HESSIAN    FLY.  579 

their  eggs  for  the  space  of  three  weeks,  after  which  they 
entirely  disappear  from  the  fields.  The  maggots,  hatched 
from  these  eggs,  pass  along  the  stems  of  the  wheat,  nearly 
to  the  roots,  become  stationary,  and  take  the  flax-seed 
form  in  June  and  July.  In  this  state  they  are  found  at 
the  time  of  harvest;  and,  when  the  grain  is  gathered, 
they  remain  in  the  stubble  in  the  fields.  To  this,  how- 
ever, as  Mr.  Havens  remarks,  there  are  some  exceptions ; 
for  a  few  of  the  insects  do  not  pass  so  far  down  the  side 
of  the  stems  as  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  sickle  when 
the  grain  is  reaped,  and  consequently  will  be  gathered  and 
carried  away  with  the  straw.  Most  of  them  are  trans- 
formed to  flies  in  the  autumn,  but  others  remain  unchanged 
in  the  stubble  or  straw  till  the  next  spring.  Hereby,  says 
Mr.  Havens,  "  it  appears  evident  that  they  may  be  re- 
moved from  their  natural  situation  in  the  field,  and  be 
kept  alive  long  enough  to  be  carried  across  the  Atlantic ; 
from  which  circumstance  it  is  possible  that  they  might  have 
been  imported"  in  straw  from  a  foreign  country. 

In  the  winged  state,  these  flies,  or  more  properly  gnats, 
are  very  active,  and,  though  very  small  and  seemingly 
feeble,  are  able  to  fly  to  a  considerable  distance  in  search 
of  fields  of  young  grain.  Their  principal  migrations  take 
place  in  August  and  September  in  the  Middle  States, 
where  they  undergo  their  final  transformations  earlier  than 
in  New  England.  There,  too,  they  sometimes  take  wing 
in  immense  swarms,  and,  being  probably  aided  by  the  wind, 
are  not  stopped  in  their  course  either  by  mountains  or  riv- 
ers. On  their  first  appearance  in  Pennsylvania,  they  were 
seen  to  pass  the  Delaware  like  a  cloud.  Being  attracted 
by  light,  they  have  been  known,  during  the  wheat  harvest, 
to  enter  houses  in  the  evening  in  such  numbers  as  seri- 
ously to  annoy  the  inhabitants.* 

Mr.  Havens  has  alluded  to  "  an  opinion,  entertained  by 

*  British,  and  Dobson's  Encyclopaedia,  and  Colonel  Morgan's  letter  in  Carey's 
American  Museum,  Vol.  II.  p.  298. 


580  DIPTERA. 

many  observers,  that  there  are  three  generations  of  this 
insect  in  a  year,"  "  two "  being  completed  "  before  har- 
vest." This  opinion  was  revived,  in  1821,  by  Mr.  James 
Worth,  of  Sharon,  Pennsylvania.*  According  to  him,  the 
second  brood  of  flies,  which  appears  early  in  June,  had  been 
altogether  overlooked,  or  confounded  with  the  spring  brood. 
Their  "  eggs  were  lain  on  the  upper  leaves  of  the  weakest 
or  stunted  wheat,  and  the  larvae  became  lodged  about  the 
two  upper  joints,  but  most  about  the  upper."  Being  very 
numerous,  and  crowded  together,  many  of  the  larvae  perished 
for  want  of  food,  and  many  also  were  destroyed  by  parasites. 
Enough,  however,  remained  alive  to  continue  the  race ;  and 
the  flies  were  evolved  from  them  at  irregular  intervals,  and 
continued  laying  from  the  15th  of  August  till  October,  when 
the  earliest  of  their  progeny  entered  on  the  fly  state ;  thus 
making,  during  the  year,  as  remarked  by  Mr.  Worth,  "  three 
complete  broods,  and  partially  a  fourth." 

Mr.  Say,  though  he  does  not  appear  to  have  been  fully 
acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  insect,  has  recorded  the 
occurrence  of  the  fly  in  June.  His  remarks  are  these : 
"  The  perfect  fly  appears  early  in  June,  lives  but  a  short 
time,  deposits  its  eggs,  and  dies ;  the  insects  from  these  eggs 
complete  the  history  by  preparing  for  the  winter  brood." 

In  the  year  1833,  Mr.  Herrick  saw  a  Hessian  fly  laying 
eggs  on  the  3d  of  June,  another  on  the  5th,  and  a  third  on 
the  7th  of  the  same  month.  The  fact  of  the  occasional  ap- 
pearance of  the  flies  as  late  as  the  12th  of  June,  when  Mr. 
Worth  found  the  insects  in  all  their  stages,  seems  to  be  well 
established;  while  it  is  equally  certain  that  ordinarily  only 
two  broods  are  brought  to  perfection  in  the  course  of  one 
year.  Various  circumstances  may  contribute  to  accelerate 
or  to  retard  a  portion  of  each  brood ;  and,  hence,  some  of 
the  flies  may  be  found  from  the  middle  of  April  to  the  mid- 
dle of  June,  and  others  from  the  beginning  of  August  till 
December.  These  circumstances  have  been  so  fully  consid- 

*  See  American  Farmer,  Vol.  III.  p.  188. 


THE    EGG    OF    THE    HESSIAN    FLY.  581 

ered  by  Mr.  Havens,  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  them 
here.  The  observations  of  Mr.  Worth  are  interesting,  as 
showing  that  the  insect  is  not  left  without  resources,  although 
there  are  no  young  wheat-plants  growing  in  June  ;  the  upper 
joints  of  those  old  plants  that  are  late  in  ripening  being 
found  to  yield  sufficient  nourishment  for  a  portion,  at  least, 
of  the  progeny  of  the  June  flies.  They  show,  also,  how 
easily  the  insects  might  be  imported  from  Europe  in  the 
straw  containing  them,  in  the  flax-seed  state,  about  the  upper 
joints. 

The  old  discussion,  concerning  the  place  where  the  Hes- 
sian fly  lays  her  eggs,  was  revived  in  the  year  1841,  in  con- 
sequence of  a  communication  made  by  Miss  Margaretta  H. 
Morris,  of  Germantown,  Pennsylvania,  to  "  The  American 
Philosophical  Society,"  of  Philadelphia.  The  following  re- 
marks upon  it  are  extracted  from  a  Report  made  to  the  same 
Society,  and  published  in  their  "  Proceedings  "  for  November 
and  December,  1840.  "  Miss  Morris  believes  she  has  estab- 
lished that  the  ovum  (egg)  of  this  destructive  insect  is 
deposited  in  the  seed  of  the  wheat,  and  not  in  the  stalk  or 
culm.  She  has  watched  the  progress  of  the  animal  since 
June,  1836,  and  has  satisfied  herself  that  she  has  frequently 
seen  the  larva  within  the  seed.  She  has  also  detected  the 
larva,  at  various  stages  of  its  progress,  from  the  seed  to 
between  the  body  of  the  stalk  and  the  sheath  of  the  leaves. 
According  to  her  observations,  the  recently  hatched  larva 
penetrates  to  the  centre  of  the  straw,  where  it  may  be  found 
of  a  pale  greenish-white  semitransparent  appearance,  in  form 
somewhat  resembling  a  silkworm.  From  one  to  six  of  these 
have  been  found  at  various  heights  from  the  seed  to  the  third 
joint." 

Miss  Morris's  communication  had  not  been  published  in 
full  when  the  first  edition  of  this  work  was  prepared  for  the 
press ;  but,  from  the  foregoing  Report,  we  are  led  to  infer, 
that  the  egg,  being  sowed  with  the  grain,  is  hatched  in  the 
ground,  and  that  the  maggot  afterwards  mounts  from  the 


582  DIPTERA. 

seed  through  the  middle  of  the  stem,  and,  having  reached  a 
proper  height,  escapes  from  the  hollow  of  the  straw  to  the 
outside,  where  it  takes  the  pupa  or  flax-seed  state.  The 
fact  that  the  Hessian  fly  does  ordinarily  lay  her  eggs  on  the 
young  leaves  of  wheat,  barley,  and  rye,  both  in  the  spring 
and  in  the  autumn,  is  too  well  authenticated  to  admit  of  any 
doubt.  If,  therefore,  the  observations  of  Miss  Morris  are 
found  to  be  equally  correct,  they  will  serve  to  show,  still 
more  than  the  foregoing  history,  how  variable  and  extraordi- 
nary is  the  economy  of  this  insect,  and  how  great  are  the 
resources  wherewith  it  is  provided  for  the  continuation  of  its 
kind. 

The  foregoing  remarks  were  written  in  1841.  Since  that 
time,  the  communication,  to  which  they  refer,  has  been 
printed,*  and  this  has  been  followed  by  the  publication  of 
several  other  articles,*  on  the  same  subject,  by  Miss  Morris. 
This  ingenious  and  persevering  lady  has  also  favored  me 
with  letters  concerning  her  investigations,  and  with  some 
of  the  flies.  The  latter  were  sent,  as  she  says,  "  to  convince 
me,  at  least,  that  she  had  not  mistaken  a  curculio,  moth, 
or  bee  for  a  Cecidomyia."  Miss  Morris  has  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  this  insect  is  a  different  species  from  the 
Hessian  fly,  for  which  it  had  previously  been  mistaken, 
and  has  given  to  it  the  name  of  Cecidomyia  culmicola.  Ac- 
cording to  her,  the  fly  "  deposits  its  eggs  early  in  June  on 
the  grain,  in  or  over  the  germ.  The  eggs  remain  unhatched 
until  the  grain  germinates,  but  when  the  plant  has  grown 
about  three  or  four  inches,  the  worm  may  be  seen,  with 
the  aid  of  a  strong  magnifying-glass,  feeding  above  the  top 
joint,  in  the  centre  of  the  culm,  where  it  remains  until  it 
arrives  at  maturity.  Should  this  occur  before  the  culm 
has  become  hard,  the  worm  eats  its  way  through  the  joint, 
inside  of  the  straw,  and  makes  its  escape  at  the  root,  as- 

•  Transactions  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  Philadelphia,  New 
Series,  VoL  VIII.  p.  48.  Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences, 
Philadelphia,  Vol.  I.  p.  66;  Vol.  HI.  p.  238;  and  Vol.  IV.  p.  194. 


THE    CECIDOMYIA    CULMICOL  A.  583 

cends  the  straw  on  the  outside,  where  it  attaches  itself 
firmly,  and  awaits  its  change ;  the  outer  skin  becomes  the 
puparium.  In  the  pupa  or  flax-seed  state,  it  closely  resem- 
bles the  (7.  destructor.  Should  the  culm  of  the  wheat  be- 
come prematurely  hard  before  the  worm  has  finished  feeding, 
as  is  often  the  case,  the  insect  will  remain  imprisoned  for 
life,  passing  through  its  changes  inside  the  straw,  and  there 
perish  without  the  power  to  escape,  unless  some  accidental 
passage  be  made  for  it.  I  have  liberated,"  she  adds,  "  hun- 
dreds with  my  penknife,  and  thousands  make  their  escape 
after  the  grain  has  been  reaped  and  carried  into  the  barn. 
When  the  insect  is  thus  unnaturally  retarded,  the  time  of 
its  perfect  development  is  uncertain  " ;  and  she  has  "  found 
them  on  the  straw,  and  in  spiders'  webs,  from  June  until 
September." 

Four  of  the  specimens  sent  to  me  by  Miss  Morris  were 
males.  Another  subsequently  received  was  a  female.  The 
former  were  not  more  than  hah0  the  size  of  the  latter,  and 
indeed  were  smaller  even  than  the  wheat-fly,  which  they 
seem  somewhat  to  resemble.  The  female  was  evidently 
much  darker-colored  originally  than  the  males.  These  in- 
sects were  genuine  specimens  of  Cecidomyia,  and  apparently 
of  a  different  species  from  the  Hessian  fly.  The  condition 
of  the  specimens,  which  had  suffered  by  compression  and 
by  being  badly  preserved,  was  such,  that  an  accurate  com- 
parison and  description  of  them  could  not  be  made.  I  under- 
stand that  the  species  has  disappeared  from  Germantown 
and  the  vicinity,  and  hence  no  opportunity  for  obtaining 
living  or  recent  specimens  has  occurred  since  the  year  1843. 
Various  means  have  been  recommended  for  preventing 
or  lessening  the  ravages  of  the  Hessian  fly ;  but  they  have 
hitherto  failed,  either  because  they  have  not  been  adapted 
to  the  end  in  view,  or  because  they  have  not  been  univer- 
sally adopted ;  and  it  appears  doubtful  whether  any  of  them 
will  ever  entirely  exterminate  the  insect.  It  is  stated  in 
the  before  mentioned  Report  of  the  Philosophical  Soci- 


584  DIPTEBA. 

ety,  that  Miss  Morris  advises  obtaining  "fresh  seed  from 
localities  in  which  the  fly  has  not  made  its  appearance," 
and  that  "by  this  means  the  crop  of  the  following  year 
will  be  uninjured;  but,  in  order  to  avoid  the  introduction 
of  straggling  insects  of  the  kind  from  adjacent  fields,  it  is 
requisite  that  a  whole  neighborhood  should  persevere  in  this 
precaution  for  two  or  more  years  in  succession."  "  This 
result,"  Miss  Morris  says,  "  was  obtained,  in  part,  in  the 
course  of  trials  made  by  Mr.  Kirk,  of  Bucks  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, with  some  seed-wheat  from  the  Mediterranean, 
in  and  since  the  year  1837.  His  first  crop  was  free  from 
the  fly ;  but  it  was  gradually  introduced  from  adjacent  fields, 
and,  in  the  present  year  (1840),  the  mischief  has  been 
considerable."  In  other  hands  this  course  has  proved  of 
no  use  whatever. 

Not  to  mention  other  instances,  the  following  appears 
to  be  conclusive  on  this  point.  About  fifty  years  ago, 
Mr.  Garret  Bergen,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  procured 
two  bushels  of  wheat  from  the  Genesee  country,  then  an 
uninfected  district,  which  he  sowed  in  a  field  adjoining  a 
piece  seeded  with  grain  of  his  own  gathering.  Both  pieces 
were  severely  damaged  by  the  Hessian  fly,  which  could 
not  have  happened,  in  the  same  season,  if  the  eggs  of  the 
insect  are  laid  only  on  the  grain.  A  few  years  ago  he 
soaked  his  seed-wheat  in  strong  pickle,  and  the  crop  was 
comparatively  free  from  the  fly.  In  1839  he  tried  this 
experiment  again,  but  not  with  similar  success.  In  1840 
he  sowed  without  previously  soaking  the  grain,  and  his 
crop  was  uninjured.  He  says,  moreover,  that  he  has  uni- 
formly found  the  grain  most  affected  in  spots,  usually  near 
the  edges  of  the  field,  where  long  grass  and  weeds  grew, 
which  afforded  shelter  and  protection  to  the  fly.  This  fact, 
he  thinks,  affords  another  proof  that  the  egg  is  not  depos- 
ited in  the  grain.  I  regret  that  my  limits  will  not  permit 
me  to  extract  the  whole  of  Mr.  Bergen's  interesting  re- 
marks, which  may  be  found  in  number  eight  of  the  eighth " 


REMEDIES    AGAINST    THE    HESSIAN   FLY.         585 

volume  of  "  The  Cultivator,"  published  in  Albany  in  Au- 
gust, 1841. 

The  best  modes  of  preventing  the  ravages  of  the  Hes- 
sian fly  are  thus  stated  by  Mr.  Herrick.*     "  The  stouter 
varieties  of  wheat  ought  always  to  be  chosen,  and  the  land 
should  be  kept  in  good  condition.     If  fall  wheat  is  sown 
late,  some  of  the   eggs   will   be  avoided,  but  the  risk  of 
winter-killing   the   plants    will   be  incurred.      If  cattle  are 
permitted  to  graze   the   wheat-fields  during   the   fall,  they 
will  devour  many  of  the  eggs.      A  large  number  of  the 
pupae  may  be  destroyed  by  burning  the  wheat-stubble  im- 
mediately after  harvest,  and   then  ploughing  and  harrow- 
ing  the   land.      This   method    will   undoubtedly   do   much 
good.     As  the  Hessian  fly  also  lays  its  eggs,  to  some  ex- 
tent, on  rye  and  barley,  these  crops  should  be  treated  in 
a  similar  manner."     On  mature  reflection,  I  am  confident 
that   burning   the    stubble,    as    originally  recommended   by 
Mr.  Havens,  and  advised  by  Mr.  Herrick,  is  the  very  best 
method  of  getting  rid  of  the  Hessian  fly.     It  is  true  that, 
by  so  doing,  many  of  the  numerous  parasites  of  the  insect 
will  also  be  destroyed.      But   this   need   not   give  us  any 
concern ;    for  if  we  can  succeed  in  putting  a  stop  to  the 
ravages  of  the  Hessian  fly,  by  these  or  any  other  means, 
we  shall  not  have  occasion  to  mourn  the  loss  of  the  para- 
sites.    It  is  found  that  luxuriant  crops  more   often  escape 
injury  than  those  that  are  thin  and   light.      Steeping   the 
grain  and  rolling  it  in  plaster  or  lime  tend  to  promote  a 
rapid  and  vigorous  growth,  and  will  therefore  prove  bene- 
ficial.    Sowing  the  fields  with  wood  ashes,  in  the  propor- 
tion of  two  bushels  to  an  acre,  in  the  autumn,  and  again 
in  the  first  and  last  weeks   in   April,  and  as  late  in  the 
month  of  May  as  the  sower  can  pass  over  the  wheat  with- 
out injury  to  it,  has  been   found   useful.f      Favorable  re- 
ports have  been  made  upon  the  practice  of  allowing  sheep 

*  American  Journal  of  Science,  Vol.  XLI.  p.  168. 
t  Cultivator,  Vol.  V.  p.  69. 
74 


586  DIPTERA. 

to  feed  off  the  crop  late  in  the  autumn,  and  it  has  also 
been  recommended  to  turn  them  into  the  fields  again  in 
the  spring,  in  order  to  retard  the  growth  of  the  plant  till 
after  the  fly  has  disappeared.*  Too  much  cannot  be  said 
in  favor  of  a  judicious  management  of  the  soil,  feeding 
off  the  crop  by  cattle  in  the  autumn,  and  burning  the 
stubble  after  harvest;  a  proper  and  general  attention  to 
which  will  materially  lessen  the  evils  arising  from  the 
depredations  of  this  noxious  insect. 

Fortunately  our  efforts  will  be  aided  by  a  host  of  para- 
sitical insects,  which  are  found  to  prey  upon  the  eggs,  the 
larvae,  and  the  pupae  of  the  Hessian  fly.  Mr.  Herrick 
states,f  that,  in  this  part  of  the  country,  a  very  large  pro- 
portion, probably  more  than  nine  tenths,  of  every  genera- 
tion of  this  fly  is  thus  destroyed.  One  of  these  parasites 
was  made  known  by  Mr.  Say,  in  the  first  volume  of  the 
"  Journal  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Phila- 
delphia " ;  and  the  interesting  discovery  of  three  more 
kinds  is  due  to  the  exertions  of  Mr.  Herrick.  They  are 
all  minute  Hymenopterous  insects,  similar  in  their  habits 
to  the  true  Ichneumon-flies. 

The  chief  parasite  of  the  pupa  is  the  Cerapkron  destructor  $ 
of  Say,  a  shining  black  four-winged  fly,  about  one  tenth 
of  an  inch  in  length.  This  has  often  been  mistaken  for 
the  Hessian  fly,  from  being  seen  in  wheat-fields,  in  vast 
numbers,  and  from  its  being  found  to  come  out  of  the  dried 
larva-skin  of  that  fly.  In  the  month  of  June,  when  the 
maggot  of  the  Hessian  fly  has  taken  the  form  of  a  flax-seed, 
the  Ceraphron  pierces  it,  through  the  sheath  of  the  leaf, 
and  lays  an  egg  in  the  minute  hole  thus  made.  From  this 

•  Cultivator,  Vol.  IV.  p.  110,  and  Vol.  V.  p.  49. 

t  American  Journal  of  Science,  Vol.  XLI.  p.  156. 

t  It  is  evident,  from  Mr.  Say's  description,  and  from  Mr.  Lesueur's  figures,  that 
thi«  inwt  is  not  a  Ceraphron.  Neither  does  it  belong  to  the  genus  Euryloma,  to 
winch  I  formerly  referred  it.  It  certainly  comes  very  near  to  Pteromalus,  as  sug- 
gested by  Mr.  Westwood;  but  I  apprehend  that  it  should  be  placed  in  the  genus 
Khaphiulut  of  Walker,  or  StorUiygocenu  of  Ratzeburg. 


ENEMIES    OF    THE    HESSIAN    FLY.  587 

egg  is  hatched  a  little  maggot,  which  devours  the  pupa  of 
the  Hessian  fly,  and  then  changes  to  a  chrysalis  within  the 
shell -of  the  latter,  through  which  it  finally  eats  its  way, 
after  being  transformed  to  a  fly.  This  last  change  takes 
place  both  in  the  autumn  and  in  the  following  spring.  Some 
of  the  females  of  this  or  of  a  closely  allied  species  come 
forth  from  the  shells  of  the  Hessian  fly,  without  wings,  or 
with  only  very  short  and  imperfect  wings,  in  which  form 
they  somewhat  resemble  minute  ants. 

Two  more  parasites,  which  Mr.  Herrick  has  not  yet 
described,  also  destroy  the  Hessian  fly,  while  the  latter  is 
in  the  flax-seed  or  pupa  state.  Mr.  Herrick  says,  that  the 
egg-parasite  of  the  Hessian  fly  is  a  species  of  Platygaster, 
that  it  is  very  abundant  in  the  autumn,  when  it  lays  its 
own  eggs,  four  or  five  together,  in  a  single  egg  of  the  Hes- 
sian fly.  This,  it  appears,  does  not  prevent  the  latter  from 
hatching,  but  the  maggot  of  the  Hessian  fly  is  unable  to 
go  through  its  transformations,  and  dies  after  taking  the 
flax-seed  form.  Meanwhile  its  intestine  foes  are  hatched, 
come  to  their  growth,  spin  themselves  little  brownish  co- 
coons within  the  skin  of  their  victim,  and,  in  due  time,  are 
changed  to  winged  insects,  and  eat  their  way  out.  Such 
are  some  of  the  natural  means,  provided  by  a  benevolent 
Providence,  to  check  the  ravages  of  the  destructive  Hessian 
fly.  If  we  are  humiliated  by  the  reflection,  that  the  Author 
of  the  universe  should  have  made  even  small  and  feeble 
insects  the  instruments  of  His  power,  and  that  He  should 
occasionally  permit  them  to  become  the  scourges  of  our  race, 
ought  we  not  to  admire  His  wisdom  in  the  formation  of 
the  still  more  humble  agents  that  are  appointed  to  arrest 
the  work  of  destruction  ? 

The  wheat  crops  in  England  and  Scotland  often  suffer 
severely  from  the  depredations  of  the  maggots  of  a  very 
small  gnat,  called  the  wheat-fly,  or  the  Cecidomyia  Trititi 
of  Mr.  Kirby.  This  insect  seems  to  have  been  long  known 
in  England,  as  appears  from  the  following  extract  from  a 


588  DIPTERA. 

letter  by  Mr.  Christopher  Gullet,  written  in  1771,  and 
published  in  the  "Philosophical  Transactions"  for  1772. 
"What  the  farmers  call  the  yellows  in  wheat,  and  which 
they  consider  as  a  kind  of  mildew,  is,  in  fact,  occasioned 
by  a  small  yellow  fly,  with  blue  wings,  about  the  size  of 
a  gnat.  This  blows  in  the  ear  of  the  corn,  and  produces 
a  worm,  almost  invisible  to  the  naked  eye ;  but,  being  seen 
through  a  pocket  microscope,  it  appears  a  large  yellow  mag- 
got, of  the  color  and  gloss  of  amber,  and  is  so  prolific  that 
I  distinctly  counted  forty-one  living  yellow  maggots  in  the 
husk  of  one  single  grain  of  wheat,  a  number  sufficient  to 
eat  up  and  destroy  the  corn  in  a  whole  ear.  One  of  those 
yellow  flies  laid  at  least  eight  or  ten  eggs,  of  an  oblong 
shape,  on  my  thumb,  only  while  carrying  by  the  wing 
across  three  or  four  ridges." 

In  1795,  the  history  of  this  insect  was  investigated  by 
Mr.  Marsham,*  and  since  that  time  Mr.  Kirby,f  Mr.  Gorrie, 
and  Mr.  ShirreffJ  have  also  turned  their  attention  to  it. 
The  investigations  of  these  gentlemen  have  become  very 
interesting  to  us,  on  account  of  the  recent  appearance  in 
our  own  country,  and  the  extensive  ravages,  of  an  insect 
apparently  identical  with  the  European  wheat-fly.  The 
following  account  of  the  latter  will  serve  to  show  how  far 
the  European  and  American  wheat-flies  agree  in  their  essen- 
tial characters  and  in  their  habits.  § 

The  European  wheat-fly  somewhat  resembles  a  mosquito 
in  form,  but  is  very  small,  being  only  about  one  tenth  of  an 
inch  long.  Its  body  is  orange-colored.  Its  two  wings  are 
transparent,  and  changeable  in  color ;  they  are  narrow  at 
the  base,  rounded  at  the  tip,  and  are  fringed  with  little  hairs 
on  the  edges.  Its  long  antenna,  or  horns,  consist,  in  the 
female,  of  twelve  little  bead-like  joints,  each  encircled  with 

Transactions  of  the  Linntcan  Society,  Vol.  III.  p.  142,  and  Vol.  IV.  p.  224. 
t  Ibid.,  Vol.  IV.  p.  230,  and  Vol.  V.  p"  96. 

:  London's  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  Vol.  II.  pp.  323  and  448. 
t  See  also  my  article  on  wheat  insects  in  the  New  England  Farmer,  for  March 
81,  1841,  Vol.  XIX.  p.  306. 


THE    EUROPEAN    WHEAT-FLY.  589 

minute  hairs;   those  of  the  male  will  probably  be  found  to 
have  a  greater  number  of  joints. 

Towards  the  end  of  June,  or  when  the  wheat  is  in  blos- 
som, these  flies  appear  in  swarms  in  the  wheat-fields  during 
the  evening,  at  which  time  they  are  very  active.  The 
females  generally  lay  their  eggs  before  nine  o'clock  at  night, 
thrusting  them,  by  means  of  a  long,  retractile  tube  in  the 
end  of  their  bodies,  within  the  chafly  scales  of  the  flowers, 
in  clusters  of  from  two  to  fifteen  or  more.  By  day  they  re- 
main at  rest  on  the  stems  and  leaves  of  the  plants,  where 
they  are  shaded  from  the  heat  of  the  sun.  They  continue 
to  appear  and  lay  their  eggs  throughout  a  period  of  thirty- 
nine  days.  The  eggs  are  oblong,  transparent,  and  of  a  pale 
buff  color,  and  hatch  in  eight  or  ten  days  after  they  are 
laid.  The  young  insects  produced  from  them  are  little  foot- 
less maggots,  tapering  towards  the  head,  and  blunt  at  the 
hinder  extremity,  with  the  rings  of  the  body  somewhat 
wrinkled  and  bulging  at  the  sides.  They  are  at  first  per- 
fectly transparent  and  colorless,  but  soon  take  a  deep  yel- 
low or  orange  color.  They  do  not  travel  from  one  floret  to 
another,  but  move  in  a  wriggling  manner,  and  by  sudden 
jerks  of  the  body,  when  disturbed.  As  many  as  forty-seven 
have  been  counted  in  a  single  floret.  It  is  supposed  that 
they  live  at  first  upon  the  pollen,  and  thereby  prevent  the 
fertilization  of  the  grain.  They  are  soon  seen,  however, 
to  crowd  around  the  lower  part  of  the  germ,  and  there 
appear  to  subsist  on  the  matter  destined  to  have  formed  the 
grain.  The  latter,  in  consequence  of  their  depredations, 
becomes  shrivelled  and  abortive  ;  and,  in  some  seasons,  a 
considerable  part  of  the  crop  is  thereby  rendered  worthless. 
The  maggots,  when  fully  grown,  are  nearly  one  eighth  of 
an  inch  long.  Mr.  Marsham  and  Mr.  Kirby  found  some 
of  them  changed  to  pupae  within  the  ears  of  the  wheat,  and 
from  these  they  obtained  the  fly  early  in  September.  The 
pupa  represented  by  them  is  rather  smaller  than  the  full- 
grown  maggot,  of  a  brownish  yellow  color,  and  of  an  oblong 


.V.H>  DIPTERA. 

oval  form,  tapering  at  each  end.  The  pupse  found  in  the 
ears  were  veiy  few  in  number,  scarcely  one  to  fifty  of  the 
maggots.  Hence  Mr.  Kirby  supposes  that  the  latter  are 
not  ordinarily  transformed  to  flies  before  the  spring.  To- 
wards the  end  of  September  he  carefully  took  off  the  skin 
of  one  of  them,  and  found  that  the  insect  within  still  retained 
the  maggot  form,  and  conjectures  that  the  pupa  is  not  usu- 
ally complete  until  the  following  spring. 

It  is  evident,  from  these  observations,  that  the  English 
naturalists  above  named  regarded  the  insect  as  having  en- 
tered upon  the  pupa  state  when  it  ceased  feeding  and  became 
quiescent,  at  which  time  Mr.  Kirby  found  it  generally  to 
adhere  somewhat  to  the  grain.  In  applying  to  it,  in  this 
condition,  the  name  of  chrysalis  or  pupa,  and  describing  it  as 
such  before  it  exhibited  any  trace  of  "  the  lineaments  of  the 
future  fly,"  and  while  "  still  in  the  form  of  the  larva,"  they 
followed  the  common  usage  of  naturalists,  as  stated  in  my 
account  of  the  Hessian  fly.  They  cannot,  therefore,  be 
said  to  have  mistaken  the  larva  for  the  matured  pupa ;  the 
remarks  of  Mr.  Kirby  prove  that  he  was  well  aware  of  the 
difference  between  them.  Mr.  Kirby,  however,  was  mis- 
taken in  his  conjecture  that  "  the  insect  enclosed  itself  in  a 
thin  membrane  to  protect  itself  from  the  cold  of  the  win- 
ter "  ;  the  membrane  referred  to  being  merely  the  outer  skin 
of  the  larva,  loosened  previously  to  being  cast  off  entirely,  — 
a  process  which  he  did  not  observe. 

According  to  Mr.  Gorrie,  the  maggots  quit  the  ears  of  the 
wheat  by  the  first  of  August,  descend  to  the  ground,  and 
go  into  it  to  the  depth  of  half  an  inch.  That  they  remain 
here  unchanged  through  the  winter,  and  finish  their  trans- 
formations, and  come  out  of  the  ground  in  the  winged  form, 
in  the  spring,  when  the  wheat  is  about  to  blossom,  is  ren- 
dered probable  from  the  great  number  of  the  flies  found  by 
Mr.  Shirreff,  in  the  month  of  June,  in  all  the  fields  where 
wheat  had  been  raised  the  year  before.  The  increase  of 
these  flies  is  somewhat  checked  by  the  attacks  of  three 


THE    AMFKICAN    WHEAT-FLY.  591 

different  parasites,  which  have  been  described  by  Mr.  Kirby. 
An  excellent  summary  of  the  history  of  this  insect,  illus- 
trated with  figures,  was  published  by  Mr.  Curtis,  in  the  year 
1845,  in  the  sixth  volume  of  the  "  Journal  of  the  Royal 
Agricultural  Society  of  England." 

An  insect,  resembling  the  foregoing  in  its  destructive 
habits,  and  known,  in  its  maggot  form,  by  the  name  of 
"  the  grain-worm,"  and  "  the  weevil,"  has  been  observed, 
for  several  years,  in  the  northern  and  eastern  parts  of  the 
United  States,  and  in  Canada.  It  seems  by  some  to  have 
been  mistaken  for  the  grain-weevil,  the  Angoumois  grain- 
moth,  and  the  Hessian  fly;  and  its  history  has  been  so 
confounded  with  that  of  another  insect,  also  called  the 
grain-worm,  in  some  parts  of  the  country,  that  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  ascertain  the  amount  of  injury  done  by  either  of 
them  alone.  The  wheat-fly  is  said  to  have  been  first  seen 
in  America  about  the  year  1828,*  in  the  northern  part  of 
Vermont,  and  on  the  borders  of  Lower  Canada.  From 
these  places  its  ravages  have  gradually  extended,  in  vari- 
ous directions,  from  year  to  year.  A  considerable  part  of 
Upper  Canada,  of  New  York,  New  Hampshire,  and  of 
Massachusetts,  have  been  visited  by  it;  and,  in  1834,  it 
appeared  in  Maine,  which  it  has  traversed,  in  an  easterly 
course,  at  the  rate  of  twenty  or  thirty  miles  a  year.  The 
country  over  which  it  has  spread  has  continued  to  suffer 
more  or  less  from  its  alarming  depredations,  the  loss  by 
which  has  been  found  to  vary  from  about  one  tenth  part 
to  nearly  the  whole  of  the  annual  crop  of  wheat ;  nor  has 
the  insect  entirely  disappeared  in  any  place,  till  it  has  been 
starved  out  by  a  change  of  agriculture,  or  by  the  substitu- 
tion of  late-sown  spring  wheat  for  the  other  varieties  of 
grain. 

Many   communications   on    this    destructive    insect  have 

*  Judge  Buel'a  Report  in  the  Cultivator,  Vol.  VI.  p.  26;  and  New  England 
Farmer,  Vol.  IX.  p.  42.  Mr.  Jewett  says,  that  its  first  appearance  in  Western 
Vermont  occurred  in  1820.  See  New  England  Farmer,  Vol.  XIX.  p.  301. 


592  DIPTERA.  ' 

appeared  in  "The  Genesee  Farmer,"  and  in  "The  Cul- 
tivator," some  of  them  written  by  the  late  Judge  Buel,  by 
whom,  as  well  as  by  the  editors  of  "  The  Yankee  Farm- 
er," rewards  were  offered  for  the   discovery  of  the  means 
to  prevent  its  ravages.      Premiums   have   also  been   pro- 
posed, for  the  same   end,  by  the  Kennebec  County  Agri- 
cultural  Society,   in   Maine,   which   were  followed   by   the 
publication,  in  "  The  Maine  Farmer,"  of  three  "  Essays  on 
the  Grain-Worm,"  presented  to  that  Society.     These  essays 
were  reprinted  in   the  seventeenth   volume  of  the   "  New 
England  Farmer,"  wherein,  as  well  as  in  some  other  vol- 
umes of  the  same  work,  several  other  articles  on  this  insect 
may  be  found.     From  these  sources,   and,  more  especially, 
from  some  interesting  letters  wherewith   I  was  favored  in 
the  years  1838  and  1841,  by  Mrs.  N.  G.  Gage,  formerly 
of  Hopkinton,  New  Hampshire,  the  history  of  the  wheat- 
fly  in  America,  published  in  the  first  edition  of  this  work, 
was  chiefly  derived.     It  will  be  found  to  contain  a  circum- 
stantial relation  of  the  moulting  of  the  maggot,  a  process 
wliich  hitherto  does  not  appear  to  have  been  understood  in 
Europe,  and  which  later  writers  on  the  history  of  the  wheat- 
fly  in  this  country  have  failed  to  describe.     Personal  obser- 
vations on  this  insect  in  Maine  and  New  Hampshire,  and 
in  the  western  parts  of  Massachusetts  and  of  Connecticut, 
together  with  information   gathered   there   from   intelligent 
farmers,    confirm    the    general    correctness    of   my  former 
statements,   and   enable   me    to    add   thereto   some   further 
particulars. 

The  American  wheat-insect,  which  I  have  seen  alive,  in 
its  winged  form,  in  Maine  and  in  New  Hampshire,  and 
which  I  have  also  reared  from  the  larva,  agrees  exactly 
with  the  descriptions  and  figures  of  the  European  wheat- 
fly,  or  Cecidomyia  Tritici  of  Mr.  Kirby.  It  is  a  very  small 
orange-colored  gnat,  with  long,  slender,  pale-yellow  legs, 
and  two  transparent  wings,  reflecting  the  tints  of  the  rain- 
bow, and  fringed  with  delicate  hairs.  Its  eyes  are  black 


THE    AMERICAN    WHEAT-FLY.  593 

and  prominent.  Its  face  and  feelers  are  yellow.  Its  an- 
tennae are  long  and  blackish.  Those  of  the  male  are  twice 
as  long  as  the  body,  and  consist  of  twenty-four  joints, 
which,  excepting  the  two  basal  ones,  are  globular,  sur- 
rounded by  hairs,  and  connected  by  slender  portions,  like 
beads  on  a  string.*  The  antennae  of  the  females  are  about 
as  long  as  the  body,  and  consist  of  only  twelve  joints, 
which,  except  two  at  the  base,  are  oblong  oval,  narrowed 
somewhat  in  the  middle,  and  surrounded  by  two  whorls 
of  hairs.  These  insects  vary  much  in  size.  The  largest 
females  do  not  exceed  one  tenth  of  an  inch  in  length ; 
and  many  are  found,  towards  the  end  of  the  season,  less 
than  half  this  length.  The  males  are  usually  rather  smaller 
than  the  females,  and  somewhat  paler  in  color.  Among 
hundreds  that  I  have  examined  in  the  living  state,  I  have 
never  found  one  specimen  with  spotted  wings. 

The  time  of  their  appearance  in  the  winged  form  varies 
according  to  the  season  and  the  situation,  from  the  beginning 
of  June  to  the  end  of  August.  In  Salisbury,  Connecticut, 
they  had  entirely  disappeared  before  the  25th  of  July,  1851 ; 
but  during  the  same  year  I  found  them  still  in  some  num- 
bers at  North  Con  way,  in  New  Hampshire,  on  the  17th  of 
August ;  and,  three  days  later,  near  the  base  of  the  White 
Mountains.  In  most  parts  of  New  England  where  wheat 
is  cultivated,  immense  swarms  of  these  orange-colored  gnats 
infest  fields  of  grain  towards  the  last  of  June.  While  the 
sun  shines  they  conceal  themselves  among  the  leaves  and 
weeds  near  the  ground.  They  take  wing  during  the  morn- 
ing and  evening  twilight,  and  also  in  cloudy  weather,  when 
they  lay  their  eggs  in  the  opening  flowers  of  the  grain. 
New  swarms  continue  to  come  forth  in  succession,  till  the 
end  of  July ;  but  Mr.  Buel  says  that  the  principal  deposit 
of  eggs  is  made  in  the  first  half  of  July,  when  late-sown 
winter-wheat  and  early-sown  spring-wheat  are  in  the  blossom 

*  These  joints  seem  to  me  to  be  somewhat  approximated  in  pairs. 
75 


594  DIPTERA. 

or  milk ;  and  this  statement  agrees  with  the  observations  of 
Mrs.  Gage. 

The  flies  are  not  confined  to  wheat  alone,  but  deposit  in 
barley,  rye,  and  oats,  when  these  plants  are  in  flower  at  the 
time  of  their  appearance.  I  have  found  the  maggots  within 
the  seed-scales  of  grass,  growing  near  to  wheat-fields.  The 
eggs  hatch  in  about  eight  days  after  they  are  laid,  when  the 
little  yellow  maggots  or  grain-worms  may  be  found  within 
the  chaffy  scales  of  the  grain.  Being  hatched  at  various 
times  during  a  period  of  four  or  five  weeks,  they  do  not  all 
arrive  at  maturity  together.  Mrs.  Gage  informs  me  that 
they  appear  to  come  to  their  growth  in  twelve  or  fourteen 
days.  They  do  not  exceed  one  eighth  of  an  inch  in  length, 
and  many,  even  when  fully  grown,  are  much  smaller.  From 
two  to  fifteen  or  twenty  have  been  found  within  the  husk  of 
a  single  grain,  and  sometimes  in  every  husk  in  the  ear.  In 
warm  and  sheltered  situations,  and  in  parts  of  fields  protect- 
ed from  the  wind  by  fences,  buildings,  trees,  or  bushes,  the 
insects  are  said  to  be  much  more  numerous  than  in  fields 
upon  high  ground  or  other  exposed  places,  where  the  grain 
is  kept  in  constant  motion  by  the  wind.  Grain  is  commonly 
more  infested  by  them  during  the  second  than  the  first  year, 
when  grown  on  the  same  ground  two  years  in  succession ; 
and  it  suffers  more  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  old  fields, 
than  in  places  more  remote.  These  insects  prey  on  the 
wheat  in  the  milky  state,  and  their  ravages  cease  when  the 
grain  becomes  hard.  They  do  not  burrow  within  the  ker- 
nels, but  live  on  the  pollen  and  on  the  soft  matter  of  the 
grain,  which  they  probably  extract  from  the  base  of  the 
germs. 

It  appears,  from  various  statements,  that  very  early  and 
very  late  wheat  escape  with  comparatively  little  injury ;  the 
amount  of  which,  in  other  cases,  depends  upon  the  condition 
of  the  grain  at  the  time  when  the  maggots  are  hatched. 
When  the  maggots  begin  their  depredations  soon  after  the 
blossoming  of  the  grain,  they  do  the  greatest  injury ;  for  the 


MAGGOTS    OF    THE    AMERICAN    WHEAT-FLY.      595 

kernels  never  fill  out  at  all.  Pinched  or  partly  filled  kernels 
are  the  consequence  of  their  attacks  when  the  gram  is  more 
advanced.  The  hulls  of  the  impoverished  kernels  will  al- 
ways be  found  split  open  on  the  convex  side,  so  as  to  expose 
the  embryo.  This  is  caused  by  the  drying  and  shrinking  of 
the  hull,  after  a  portion  of  the  contents  thereof  has  been 
sucked  out  by  the  maggots. 

Towards  the  end  of  July  and  in  the  beginning  of  August, 
the  full-grown  maggots  leave  off  eating,  and  become  sluggish 
and  torpid,  preparatory  to  moulting  their  skins.  This  pro- 
cess, which  has  been  alluded  to  by  Judge  Buel  and  some 
other  writers,  has  been  carefully  observed  by  Mrs.  Gage, 
who  sent  to  me  the  maggots  before  and  after  moulting,  to- 
gether with  some  of  their  cast  skins.  It  takes  place  in  the 
following  manner.  The  body  of  the  maggot  gradually  shrinks 
in  length  within  its  skin,  and  becomes  more  flattened  and  less 
pointed,  as  may  easily  be  seen  through  the  delicate  trans- 
parent skin,  which  retains  nearly  its  original  form  and  dimen- 
sions, and  extends  a  little  beyond  the  included  insect  at  each 
end.  The  torpid  state  lasts  only  a  few  days,  after  which 
the  insect  casts  off  its  skin,  leaving  the  latter  entire,  except 
a  little  rent  in  one  end  of  it.  Mrs.  Gage  observed  many 
of  the  maggots  in  the  very  act  of  emerging  from  their  skins. 
The  cast  skins  are  exceedingly  thin,  and  colorless,  and, 
through  a  microscope,  are  seen  to  be  marked  with  eleven 
transverse  lines.  Great  numbers  of  the  skins  are  to  be  found 
in  the  wheat-ears  immediately  after  the  moulting  process  is 
completed.  Sometimes  the  maggots  descend  from  the  plants, 
and  moult  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  where  they  leave 
their  cast  skins,  as  described  by  Mr.  J.  W.  Dawson,  of 
Pictou,  Nova  Scotia.*  Late  broods  are  sometimes  harvested 
with  the  grain,  and  carried  into  the  barn  without  having 
moulted.  This  seems  to  have  often  happened  in  England, 
where  the  insect  has  been  repeatedly  noticed  in  the  transition 
state,  still  enclosed  within  its  loosened  filmy  skin. 

*  Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philad.,  Vol.  IV.  p.  210. 


596  DIPTERA. 

It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  the  true  nature  of  this 
covering  of  the  maggot  should  not  have  been  ascertained 
by  English  naturalists.  Mr.  Kirby,  as  before  stated,  sup- 
posed  it  to  be  a  thin  membrane,  formed  by  the  insect  for 
the  protection  of  its  body  from  the  cold  of  winter.  Ac- 
cording to  Professor  Henslow's  account,  the  larvae  "  spin 
themselves  up  in  a  very  thin  and  transparent  web,  which 
is  often  attached  to  a  sound  grain,  or  to  the  inside  of  one 
of  the  chaff-scales."*  Mr.  Curtis  observed  on  the  backs 
of  some  of  the  shrivelled  grains  "  a  long  narrow  filmy  sac, 
on  opening  which  a  bright  orange  granulated  maggot  came 
out  alive ;  and  when  shut  up  in  a  tin  box,  many  volunta- 
rily left  their  cases  and  wandered  about. "f  Having  care- 
fully watched  the  insect  during  the  moulting  period,  I  am 
convinced  that  what  these  gentlemen  called  a  "  membrane," 
"  web,"  or  "  sac,"  is  really  the  loosened  outer  skin  of  the 
maggot,  which  is  subsequently  thrown  off  in  the  ears  of  the 
wheat,  or  is  cast  upon  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

After  shedding  its  skin,  the  maggot  recovers  its  activity, 
and  writhes  about  as  at  first,  but  takes  no  food.  It  is 
shorter,  somewhat  flattened,  and  more  obtuse  than  before, 
and  is  of  a  deeper  yellow  color,  with  an  oblong  greenish 
spot  in  the  middle  of  the  body.  Within  two  or  three  days 
after  moulting,  the  maggots  either  descend  of  their  own 
accord,  or  are  shaken  out  of  the  ears  by  the  wind,  and 
fall  to  the  ground.  They  do  not  let  themselves  down  by 
threads,  for  they  are  not  able  to  spin.  Nearly  all  of  them 
disappear  before  the  middle  of  August ;  and  they  are  very 
rarely  found  in  the  grain  at  the  time  of  harvest.  Mrs. 
Gage  stated,  in  one  of  her  letters,  that  she  had  not  ob- 
served "  how  and  when  the  insects  issue  from  the  grain," 
but  that  it  was  "  apparent  they  go  in  company,"  and  "  per- 
haps they  crawl  out  upon  the  heads  during  a  rain,  and 
are  washed  down  to  the  ground,  where  they  remain  through 

•  Journal  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  England,  Vol.  II.  p.  22. 
t  Ibid.,  Vol.  VI.  p.  146. 


THE    AMERICAN    WHEAT-FLY.  597 

the  winter."  On  the  14th  of  August,  1841,  she  visited 
again  the  field  of  wheat  where,  on  the  25th  of  July,  she 
had  found  great  numbers  of  the  maggots,  and  observed 
that  "  a  very  few  of  all  that  multitude  were  left.  On  rub- 
bing the  ears,  their  silvery  coverings  glistened  in  the  sun- 
shine, and  floated  away  on  the  breeze.  A  warm  rain  had 
fallen  between  these  visits." 

In  an  account  of  the  damage  done  by  these  insects  in 
Vermont,  in  the  summer  of  1833,  it  is  stated  that,  "  after 
a  shower  of  rain,  they  have  been  seen  in  such  countless 
numbers  on  the  beards  of  the  wheat,  as  to  give  the  whole 
field  the  color  of  the  insect."*  Mr.  Elijah  Wood,  of 
Winthrop,  Maine,  in  a  short  communication,  written  in 
the  summer  of  1837,  made  the  following  remarks :  "  This 
day,  9th  of  August,  a  warm  rain  is  falling,  and  a  neighbor 
of  mine  has  brought  me  a  head  of  wheat  which  has  become 
loaded  with  the  worms.  They  are  crawling  out  from  the 
husk  or  chaff  of  the  grain,  and  were  on  the  beards,  and 
he  says  he  saw  great  numbers  of  them  on  the  ground."  f 
From  these  observations,  and  from  remarks  to  the  same 
effect  made  to  me  by  intelligent  farmers,  it  appears  that 
the  descent  of  the  insects  is  facilitated  by  falling  rain  and 
heavy  dews. 

Having  reached  the  ground,  the  maggots  soon  burrow 
under  the  surface,  sometimes  to  the  depth  of  about  an  inch, 
those  of  them  that  have  not  already  moulted  casting  their 
skins  before  entering  the  earth.  Here  they  remain,  without 
further  change,  through  the  following  winter.  During  the 
month  of  May,  I  have  seen  specimens  still  in  the  larva  form, 
in  the  earth  wherein  they  had  been  kept  during  the  winter. 
It  is  not  usually  till  June  that  they  are  transformed  to  pupae. 
This  change  is  effected  without  another  moulting  of  the  skin  ; 
not  the  slightest  vestige  of  the  larva-skin  being  found  in  the 
earth  in  which  some  of  these  insects  had  undergone  their 

*  New  England  Farmer,  Vol.  XH.  p.  60. 
t  Ibid.,  Vol.  XVI.  p.  61. 


598  DIPTERA. 

transformations.  Moreover,  the  pupa  is  entirely  naked,  not 
being  enclosed  either  in  a  cocoon  or  in  the  puparium  formed 
of  this  outer  skin  of  the  larva,  and  it  has  its  limbs  and  wings 
free  or  unconfined.  The  pupa  state  lasts  but  a  short  time, 
a  week  or  two  at  most,  and  probably,  in  many  cases,  only 
a  few  days.  Under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  the 
pupa  works  its  way  to  the  surface,  before  liberating  the 
included  fly ;  and  when  the  insect  has  taken  wing,  its  empty 
pupa-skin  will  be  seen  sticking  out  of  the  ground.  In  other 
cases,  the  fly  issues  from  its  pupa-skin  in  the  earth,  and 
comes  to  the  surface  with  flabby  wings,  which  soon  expand 
and  dry  on  exposure  to  the  air.  This  last  change  occurs 
mostly  during  the  months  of  June  and  July,  when  great 
numbers  of  the  flies  have  been  seen,  apparently  coming  from 
the  ground,  in  fields  where  grain  was  raised  the  year  before. 
Some  persons  have  stated  that  the  insects  are  transformed 
to  flies  in  the  ears  of  the  grain,  having  probably  mistaken 
the  cast-skins  of  the  maggots  found  therein  for  the  shells 
of  the  chrysalis  or  pupa. 

Several  cases  of  the  efficacy  of  fumigation  in  preventing 
the  depredations  of  these  insects  are  recorded  in  our  agricul- 
tural papers.*  For  this  purpose  brimstone  has  been  used, 
in  the  proportion  of  one  pound  to  every  bushel  of  seed  sown. 
Strips  of  woollen  cloth,  dipped  in  melted  brimstone,  and 
fastened  to  sticks  in  different  parts  of  the  field,  and  particu- 
larly on  the  windward  side,  are  set  on  fire,  for  several 
evenings  in  succession,  at  the  time  when  the  grain  is  in 
blossom ;  the  smoke  and  fumes  thus  penetrate  the  standing 
grain,  and  prove  very  offensive  or  destructive  to  the  flies, 
which  are  laying  their  eggs.  A  thick  smoke  from  heaps 
of  burning  weeds,  sprinkled  with  brimstone,  around  the 
sides  of  the  field,  has  also  been  recommended.  Lime  or 
ashes,  strown  over  the  grain  when  in  blossom,  has,  in  some 
cases,  appeared  to  protect  the  crop;  and  the  Rev.  Henry 
Colman,  the  Commissioner  for  the  Agricultural  Survey  of 

•  Among  others,  see  The  Cultivator,  Vol.  V.  p.  136. 


REMEDIES    AGAINST    THE    WHEAT-FLY.  599 

Massachusetts,  says  that  this  preventive,  if  not  infallible, 
may  be  relied  on  with  strong  confidence.*  For  every  acre 
of  grain,  from  one  peck  to  a  bushel  of  newly  slacked  lime 
or  of  good  wood-ashes  will  be  required;  and  this  should 
be  scattered  over  the  plants  when  they  are  wet  with  dew 
or  rain.  Two  or  three  applications  of  it  have  sometimes 
been  found  necessary. 

Whether  it  be  possible  to  destroy  the  maggots  after  they 
have  left  the  grain,  and  iave  betaken  themselves  to  their 
winter  quarters,  just  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  re- 
mains to  be  proved.  Some  persons  have  advised  ploughing 
up  the  ground,  soon  after  the  grain  is  harvested,  in  order 
to  kill  the  maggots,  or  to  bury  them  so  deeply  that  they 
could  not  make  their  escape  when  transformed  to  flies.  I 
am  inclined  to  think  that  deep  ploughing  will  prove  to  be 
the  best  and  most  practicable  remedy.  Perhaps  thoroughly 
liming  the  soil  before  it  is  ploughed  may  contribute  to  the 
destruction  of  the  insects.  The  chaff,  dust,  and  refuse  straw 
should  be  carefully  examined,  and,  if  found  to  contain  any 
of  the  maggots,  should  be  immediately  burnt.  It  is  stated 
that  our  crops  may  be  saved  from  injury  by  sowing  early 
in  the  autumn  or  late  in  the  spring.  By  the  first,  it  is  sup- 
posed that  the  grain  will  become  hard  before  many  of  the 
flies  make  their  appearance;  and  by  the  latter,  the  plants 
will  not  come  into  blossom  until  the  flies  have  disappeared. 
In  those  parts  of  New  England  where  these  insects  have 
done  the  greatest  injury,  the  cultivation  of  fall-sown  or 
winter  grain  has  been  given  up ;  and  this,  for  some  years 
to  come,  will  be  found  the  safest  course.  The  proper  time 
for  sowing  in  the  spring  will  vary  with  the  latitude  and 
elevation  of  the  place,  and  the  forwardness  of  the  season. 
From  numerous  observations  made  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try, it  appears  that  grain  sown  after  the  15th  or  20th  of  May 
generally  escapes  the  ravages  of  these  destructive  insects. 
Late  sowing  has  almost  entirely  banished  the  wheat-flies 

*  Third  Report  on  the  Agriculture  of  Massachusetts,  p.  67. 


600  DIPTERA. 

from  those  parts  of  Vermont  where  they  first  appeared ;  and 
there  is  good  reason  to  expect  that  these  depredators  will  be 
completely  starved  out  and  exterminated,  when  the  means 
above  recommended  have  been  generally  adopted  and  per- 
severed in  for  several  years  in  succession. 

In  the  introductory  chapter  *  a  short  account  has  already 
been  given  of  the  habits  of  the  various  kinds  of  gnats  and 
flies,  belonging  to  the  principal  families  of  this  order.  Be- 
sides the  species  that  are  injurious  to  vegetation,  which  have 
been  now  described,  there  still  remain  some  of  our  native 
flies  that  deserve  a  passing  notice,  on  account  of  their  size, 
or  of  peculiarities  in  their  forms,  structure,  and  habits,  al- 
though few  of  them  are  to  be  included  among  the  insects 
which  are  hurtful  to  plants. 

Among  our  long-legged  gnats  there  is  no  one  more  singu- 
lar in  its  appearance  and  graceful  in  its  motions  than  the 
Ptychoptera  clavipes  of  Fabricius,  or  club-footed  Ptychoptera. 
A  new  genus,  called  Bittacomorpha,  on  account  of  the  fancied 
resemblance  of  this  insect  to  the  Neuropterous  genus  Bitta- 
cus,  has  lately  been  made  for  its  reception,  by  Mr.  West- 
wood.f  This  pretty  gnat  is  of  a  black  color,  with  a  broad, 
white  stripe  on  the  face,  a  short,  white  line  on  the  fore  part 
of  the  thorax,  and  three  broad,  white  rings  on  the  legs. 
The  sides  of  the  thorax  are  silvery  white,  and  the  hind  body 
is  dusky  brown,  with  a  narrow  white  line  on  the  edges  of 
each  of  the  rings.  The  head  is  small,  and  almost  hidden 
under  the  thick  and  hunched  thorax ;  the  antenna  are  many- 
jointed,  slender,  and  tapering ;  the  hind  body  is  long,  nar- 
row, and  somewhat  flattened  ;  the  legs  are  very  slender  next 
to  the  body,  and  increase  in  thickness  towards  the  end,  and 
the  first  joint  of  the  feet  is  swollen,  oblong  oval,  and  very 
downy.  The  length  of  the  body  is  about  half  an  inch,  and 
the  wings  expand  nearly  three  quarters  of  an  inch.  It 
appears  in  July,  and  takes  wing  by  day.  As  it  flies  slowly 

•  Pages  16  and  17. 

t  Philosophical  Magazine,  Vol.  VI.  p.  281.     Lond.    1835. 


THE    THICK-LEGGED    SNOW-GNAT.  601 

along,  it  seems  almost  to  tread  the  air,  balancing  itself  hori- 
zontally with  its  long  legs,  which  are  stretched  out,  like  rays, 
from  the  sides  of  its  body. 

There  are  exceptions  to  almost  all  general  rules.  Thus  we 
find,  among  Dipterous  insects,  some  kinds  that  never  have 
wings.  One  of  these  is  the  thick-legged  snow- 

.       .  Fig-  260. 

gnat,  or  Chionea  valga1  (Fig.  260).  This  singu- 
lar insect  looks  more  like  a  spider  than  a  gnat. 
Its  body  is  rather  less  than  one  fourth  of  an  inch 
long,  and  is  of  a  brownish  yellow  or  nankin  color. 
The  legs  are  rather  paler,  and  are  covered  with 
short  hairs.  The  head  is  small  and  hairy.  The  first  two 
joints  of  the  antennas  are  thick,  the  others  slender  and 
tapering,  and  beset  with  hairs.  Although  the  wings  are 
wanting,  there  is  a  pale  yellow  poiser  on  each  side  of  the 
hinder  part  of  the  thorax.  The  hindmost  thighs  are  very 
thick,  and  somewhat  bowed,  in  the  males,  which  suggested 
the  name  of  valga,  or  bow-legged,  given  to  the  insect  in  my 
Catalogue.  The  body  of  the  female  ends  with  a  sword- 
shaped  borer,  resembling  that  of  a  grasshopper.  These 
wingless  gnats  live  on  the  ground,  and  the  females  bore 
into  it  to  lay  their  eggs.  They  are  not  common  here.  Mr. 
Gosse  found  considerable  numbers  of  them  in  Canada, 
crawling  on  the  snow,  in  pine  woods,  during  the  month 
of  March.* 

Travellers  and  new  settlers,  in  some  parts  of  New  Eng- 
land and  Canada,  are  very  much  molested  by  a  small  gnat, 
called  the  black  fly  (Simulium  molestum),  swarms  of  which 
fill  the  air  during  the  month  of  June.  Every  bite  that  they 
make  draws  blood,  and  is  followed  by  an  inflammation  and 

[  i  Mr.  Walker  has  described  two  American  species  of  this  singular  genus ;  one 
of  them,  Chionea  aspera,  seems  to  be  identical  with  Dr.  Harris's  C.  valga.  I  do 
not  undertake  to  decide  which  name  should  be  preferred.  Dr.  Harris's  has  the 
priority,  but  the  few  words  he  mentions  about  this  insect  can  hardly  be  called  a 
description.  (Compare  Walker's  List  of  Diptera  of  British  Museum,  Vol.  I.  p.  82.) 
—  OSTEN  SACKEN.] 

*  Canadian  Natitralist,  p.  51. 
76 


602  DIPTERA. 

swelling  which  last  several  days.  These  little  tormentors 
are  of  a  black  color ;  their  wings  are  transparent ;  and  their 
legs  are  short,  and  have  a  broad  whitish  ring  around  them. 
The  length  of  their  body  rarely  exceeds  one  tenth  of  an  inch. 
They  begin  to  appear  in  May,  and  continue  about  six  weeks, 
after  which  they  are  no  more  seen.  They  are  followed, 
however,  by  swarms  of  midges,  or  sand-flies  (Simulium 
nocivum),  called  no-see-'em,  by  the  Indians  of  Maine,  on 
account  of  their  minuteness.  So  small  are  they,  that  they 
would  hardly  be  perceived,  were  it  not  for  their  wings, 
which  are  of  a  whitish  color,  mottled  with  black.  Towards 
evening  these  winged  atoms  come  forth,  and  creep  under 
the  clothes  of  the  inhabitants,  and  by  their  bites  produce 
an  intolerable  irritation,  and  a  momentary  smarting,  com- 
pared *  to  that  caused  by  sparks  of  fire.  They  do  not  draw 
blood,  and  no  swelling  follows  their  attacks.  They  are  most 
troublesome  during  the  months  of  July  and  August. 

The  most  common  of  our  large  gad-flies,  or  horse-flies, 
appears  to  be  the  Tabanus  atratus  of  Fabricius.  It  is  of 
a  black  color,  and  the  back  is  covered  with  a  whitish  bloom, 
like  a  plum.  The  eyes  are  very  large,  and  almost  meet 
on  the  top  of  the  head ;  they  are  of  a  shining  purple-black 
or  bronzed  black  color,  with  a  narrow  jet-black  band  across 
the  middle,  and  a  broad  band  of  the  same  hue  on  the  lower 

part.     The   body  of  this   fly  is 
seven  eighths  of  an  inch  or  more 
in  length,  and  the  wings  expand 
nearly  two  inches.    The  Tabanus 
cinctus  (Fig.  261)  of  Fabricius, 
or  orange-belted  horse-fly,  is  not 
so  common  and  is  rather  smaller. 
It  is  also  black,  except  the  first 
three   rings   of  the   hind   body,   which   are   orange-colored. 
The  most  common  of  our  smaller  horse-flies  is  the  Tabanus 
(Fig.  262),  so  named  by  Fabricius,  because  it  has 

*  See  Gosse's  Canadian  Naturalist,  p.  100. 


THE    BEE-FLIES.  603 

a  whitish  line  along  the  top  of  the  hind  body.  Besides 
these  flies,  we  have  several  more  kinds 
of  Tabanus,  some  of  which  do  not  appear 
to  have  been  described.  These  blood- 
thirsty insects  begin  to  appear  towards 
the  end  of  June,  and  continue  through 
the  summer,  sorely  tormenting  both 
horses  and  cattle  with  their  sharp  bites.  Their  proboscis, 
though  not  usually  very  long,  is  armed  with  six  stiff  and  ex- 
ceedingly sharp  needles,  wherewith  they  easily  pierce  through 
the  toughest  hide.  It  is  stated  that  they  will  not  touch  a 
horse  whose  back  has  been  well  washed  with  a  strong  de- 
coction of  walnut-leaves.  The  eyes  of  these  flies  are  very 
beautiful,  and  vary  in  their  colors  and  markings  in  the  dif- 
ferent species. 

The  golden-eyed  forest-flies  are  also  distinguished  for  the 
brilliancy  of  their  spotted  eyes,  and  for  their  clouded  or 
banded  wings.  They  are  much  smaller  than  the  horse- 
flies, but  resemble  them  in  their  habits.  Some  of  them 
are  entirely  black  ( Chrysops  ferrugatus,  Fabricius2),  others 
are  striped  with  black  and  yellow  (Chrysops  vittatus,  Wiede- 
mann).  They  frequent  woods  and  thickets,  in  July  and 
August. 

The  bee-flies,  or  Bombylians  (BOMBYLIAD.E),  have  a  very 
slender  proboscis,  sometimes  exceeding  the  length  of  their 
body.  They  are  met  with  in  sunny  paths  in  the  woods, 
in  April  and  May.  They  fly  with  great  swiftness,  stop 
suddenly  every  little  while,  and,  balancing  themselves  with 
their  long,  horizontal  spread  wings,  seem  to  hang  suspended 
in  the  air.  They  often  hover,  in  this  way,  over  the  early 
flowers,  sucking  out  the  honey  thereof,  like  humming-birds, 
with  their  long  bills.  Our  largest  bee-fly  is  the  Bombylius 

[  9  Chrysops  ferrugatus,  Fab.,  is  a  Tdbanus,  and  not  a  Chrysops.  Besides,  it  has 
much  more  ferruginous  and  cinereous  than  black  in  its  coloring  (compare  its  de- 
scription in  Wied.  Auss.  Zw.,  Vol.  I.  p.  186).  Dr.  Harris  means  probably  the 
Chrysops  niger,  Meig,  which,  next  to  C.  vittatus,  Wied.,  is  the  common  Chrysops 
of  this  country.  —  OSTEN  SACKEN.] 
76* 


004  DIPTERA. 

(Fig.  263),  so  named  by  Fabricius,  because  the 


Fi   jgg  wings   are    divided    lengthwise,   in   their 

color,  into  two  equal  parts,  the  outer  part 
being  brownish  black,  and  the  inner  half 
colorless  and  transparent.  The  body  of 
this  insect  is  short,  rounded,  and  covered 
with  yellowish  hairs,  like  a  humble-bee. 
It  measures  three  eighths  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  the  wings 
expand  rather  more  than  seven  eighths  of  an  inch. 

There  are  some  flies  that  prey  on  other  insects,  catching 
them  on  the  wing  or  on  plants,  and  sucking  out  their  juices. 
Some  of  them  have  thick  and  hairy  bodies  and  legs,  and 

bear  a  striking  resemblance  to 
our  biggest  humble-bees.  Such 
are  the  Laphria  thoracica  (Fig. 
264)  of  Fabricius,  which  is 
black,  with  yellow  hairs  on  the 
top  of  the  thorax,  and  meas- 
ures eight  or  nine  tenths  of  an 
inch  in  length  ;  another  species, 
which  may  be  called  Laphria  flavibarbisf  differing  from 
the  former  in  having  the  face  and  sides  of  the  head  cov- 
ered with  a  yellow  beard,  and  in  being  an  inch  or  more 
long;  and  the  Laphria  tergissa  of  Say,  which  is  somewhat 
like  the  last,  but  has  yellow  hairs  on  the  three  middle  seg- 
ments of  the  hind  body,  and  on  the  shanks  of  the  anterior 
and  middle  pairs  of  legs,  and  measures  about  an  inch  in 
length. 

[*  What  the  true  Bombylius  aqualit,  Fab.  is,  remains  as  yet  uncertain,  and  can 
*J  determined  only  by  comparisons  with  his  typical  specimen.  The  insect  I  re- 
member having  seen  in  Dr.  Harris's  collection  under  this  name  belonged  to  the 
group  which  includes  the  European  B.  major,  which  group  contains  several 
cies  in  this  country.  It  might  be  either  B.  albipectus,  Macq.,  or  B.  fratellus, 
Wied.  (syn.  B.  ricinw,  Macq.).  —  OSTEN  SACKEN.] 

Laphria  Jlaribarbis  is  probably  nothing  but  a  variety  of  L.  tergissa.    I  pos- 
•  specimens  of  the  latter,  having  one,  two,  or  three  segments  of  the  abdomen 
Ml  IT,  /A  yellow  hair.     Similar  varieties,  as  to  the  width  of  the  abdominal  yel- 
low  band,  occur  also  in  L.  thoracica,  Fab.—  OSTEN  SACKEN.] 


THE    SILKY    ASILUS.  605 

These  insects  belong  to  a  family  called  ASILID^,  from 
Asilus,  the  principal  genus.  In  the  larva  state,  those  of  the 
Asilians  whose  habits  are  known  live  in  the  ground  upon 
the  roots  of  plants,  and  sometimes  do  considerable  mischief, 
as  proved  to  be  the  case  with  some  that  were  sent  to  me  last 
May,  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hill,  of  Wakham,  who  found 
them  devouring  the  roots  of  the  tart  rhubarb.  They  were 
yellowish-white  maggots,  about  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
long,  not  perfectly  cylindrical,  but  a  little  depressed,  and 
tapering  at  each  end.  The  head  was  small,  brown,  and 
partially  drawn  within  the  first  ring,  and  was  provided  with 
two  little  horny  brown  hooks.  There  was  a  pair  of  breath- 
ing-pores on  the  first  ring,  and  another  pair  on  the  last  but 
one.  These  maggots  were  transformed  in  the  earth  to  naked 
pupas,  having  the  limbs  free.  The  pupa  was  brown,  and 
had  a  pair  of  short  horns  on  the  forehead,  three  spines  on 
each  side  of  the  head,  a  forked  tail,  and  a  transverse  row 
of  little  teeth  across  the  middle  of  each  ring  of  the  hind 
body.  When  about  to  undergo  their  last  transformation, 
the  pupae  work  their  way  to  the  surface  of  the  ground  by 
the  help  of  the  little  teeth  on  their  rings.  I  have  repeatedly 
seen  the  empty  pupa-sheUs  sticking  half-way  out  of  the 
ground  around  rhubarb  plants.  In  the  fore  part  of  July, 
there  issued  from  these  pupae  some 
long-bodied  flies,  which  proved  to 
be  of  the  species  called  Asilus  se- 
ricem  (Fig.  265)  by  Mr.  Say. 
The  body  of  this  insect  is  slender 
and  tapering,  and  measures  from 
eight  tenths  of  an  inch  to  one  inch 
and  one  tenth  in  length.  It  is  of 
a  brownish-yellow  color,  covered 
with  a  short  silky  down,  varying 
in  different  lights  from  golden  yel- 
low to  brown,  and  with  a  broad  brown  stripe  on  the  top 
of  the  thorax.  The  wings  are  smoky  brown,  with  broad 


606  DIPTERA. 

brownish-yellow  veins,  and  expand  one  inch  and  a  quarter, 
or  more.  We  have  several  other  kinds  of  Asilus,  some 
larger  and  others  smaller  than  the  foregoing,  of  whose 
history  nothing  is  known,  except  their  predaceous  habits  in 
the  winged  state,  which  have  been  often  observed.  There 
are  also  several  slender  kinds  of  Laphria ;  but  these  are 
easily  distinguished  from  every  species  of  Asilus  by  their 
antennae,  which  are  not,  as  in  the  latter,  tipped  with  a  slender 
point,  but  are  blunt  at  the  end. 

Besides  the  foregoing,  there  are  many  other  rapacious  flies, 

some  of  which  are  of 
great  size.  The  lar- 
gest one  found  here 
is  the  orange-banded 
Midas  (Midas  fila- 
ta**6),  (Fig.  266,) 
specimens  of  which 
are  sometimes  found 
measuring  an  inch 
and  a  quarter  in 
length,  with  wings 
expanding  two  inch- 
es and  a  quarter.  It  is  black,  with  an  orange-colored 
band  on  the  second  ring  of  the  hind  body ;  and  the  wings 
are  smoky  brown,  with  a  metallic  lustre.  It  receives  its 
scientific  name,  filatus,  signifying  thread-like,  from  its  an- 
tenna?, which  are  long  and  slender,  but  they  end  with  an 
oblong  oval  knob.  Its  generical  name  was  also  given  to  it 
on  account  of  its  long  antennae ;  Midas,  in  mythology,  be- 
ing the  name  of  a  person  fabled  to  have  had  the  long  ears 
of  an  ass.  The  orange-banded  Midas  may  often  be  seen 
flying  in  the  woods  in  July  and  August,  or  resting  and 
basking  in  the  sun  upon  fallen  trees.  Its  transformations 

•  Incorrectly  named  Mydat  Jilata  by  Fabric-ins. 

[•  Mldatjilaiut  is  now  generally  called  J/.  clavatus,  Drury,  which  is  the  older 
name.  —  Otervt  SACKKX.] 


THE    PALE    CCENOMYIA.  607 

have  never  been  described.  Its  larva  and  pupa  almost  ex- 
actly resemble  those  of  the  rapacious  Asilians.  The  larva 
is  a  cylindrical,  whitish  maggot,  tapering  before,  and  almost 
rounded  behind  ;  it  has  only  two  breathing-holes,  which  are 
placed  in  the  last  ring  but  one ;  and  it  grows  to  the  length 
of  two  inches.  It  lives  and  undergoes  its  transformations 
in  decayed  logs  and  stumps.  The  pupa  measures  about  an 
inch  and  a  quarter  in  length ;  it  is  of  a  brown  color,  and 
nearly  cylindrical  shape;  its  tail  is  forked;  there  are  eight 
thorns  on  the  fore  part  of  its  body ;  and  each  ring  of  the 
abdomen  is  edged  with  numerous  sharp  teeth,  like  a  saw, 
all  these  teeth  pointing  backwards  except  those  on  the  back 
of  the  first  ring,  which  are  directed  forwards.  The  pupa 
pushes  itself  half-way  out  of  the  stump  when  the  fly  is  about 
to  come  forth,  and  the  latter  makes  its  escape  by  splitting 
open  the  back  of  the  pupa-skin. 

In  the  month  of  June,  there  may  sometimes  be  seen,  rest- 
ing on  the  grass  or  on  rotten  stumps,  in  open  woods,  a  large 
light-brown  or  drab-colored  fly,  somewhat  like  a  horse-fly 
in  form,  but  easily  distinguished  therefrom  by  two  little 
thorns  on  the  hinder  part  of  the  thorax ;  and  by  the  wings, 
which  do  not  spread  so  much  when  the  insect  is  at  rest.  It 
is  heavy  and  sluggish  in  its  motions,  and  does  not  attempt 
to  fly  away  when  approached.  This  insect  was  called  Cce- 
nomyia  pallida,  the  pale  Coenomyia,  by  Mr.  Say,  in  the  Ap- 
pendix to  Keating's  "  Narrative,"  and  in  the  second  volume 
of  the  "  American  Entomology,"  where  it  is  figured.  The 
generical  name,  signifying  a  common  fly,  is  rather  unfortu- 
nate, for  this  is  a  rare  insect.  The  only  specimens  known 
to  Mr.  Say  were  found  by  him  in  a  small  forest  of  scat- 
tered trees,  on  the  Pecktannos  River,  in  Wisconsin.  A  few 
have  been  taken  in  Massachusetts,  one  of  them  on  Blue 
Hill,  in  Milton ;  and  Mr.  Gosse  found  three  specimens,  in  as 
many  years,  in  Canada.  In  its  transformations  this  insect 
is  more  nearly  related  to  the  gad-flies  and  the  Asilians  than 
to  the  soldier-flies,  near  which  it  has  generally  been  placed ; 


(IDS  DIPTERA. 

though  it  approaches  the  latter  in  its  structure,  and  in  its 
sluggish  habits.  The  larvae  or  maggots,  though  not  yet 
discovered,  undoubtedly  live  in  the  ground,  or  in  decayed 
vegetable  substances,  like  those  of  the  horse-flies  and  other 
predatory  insects ;  for  Mr.  Gosse  found  one  of  his  specimens, 
on  the  grass,  in  the  act  of  emerging  from  the  pupa-skin. 
He  has  also  figured  *  the  pupa,  which  is  of  a  chestnut-brown 
color,  and  has  transverse  rows  of  spines  on  the  abdominal 
rings. 

Most  of  the  soldier-flies  (STRATIOMYAD.E)  are  armed  with 
two  thorns  or  sharp  spines  on  the  hinder  part  of  the  thorax. 
They  form  the  first  family  of  the  flies  that  undergo  their 
transformations  within  the  hardened  skin  of  the  larva,  which 
is  not  thrown  off  till  they  break  through  it  to  come  out  in  the 
winged  state.  Their  proboscis  contains,  at  most,  only  four 
bristles,  is  not  fitted  for  piercing,  but  ends  with  large  fleshy 
lips,  by  means  whereof  these  flies  suck  the  sweet  juices  of 
flowers.  Most  of  them  are  found  in  wet  places,  where  their 
larva?  live ;  some  of  the  latter  being  provided  with  a  tube, 
in  the  hinder  extremity,  which  they  thrust  out  of  the  water 
in  order  to  breathe.  The  skin  of  these  larvse  is  merely 
shortened  a  little,  without  wholly  losing  its  former  shape, 
when  the  enclosed  insects  change  to  pupae ;  thereby  showing 
that  this  family  is  truly  intermediate  between  the  preceding 
flies,  which  cast  off  their  larva-skins,  and  those  which  retain 
them,  and  take  an  oblong  oval  shape,  when  they  become 
pupae.  Some  of  the  soldier-flies  (Stratyomys)  have  a  broad 
oval  body,  ornamented  with  yellow  triangles  or  crescents 
on  each  side  of  the  back,  and  their  antennas  are  somewhat 
like  those  of  Midas  and  of  the  gad-flies ;  others  (Sargus) 
are  slender,  often  of  a  brilliant  brassy-green  color,  with  a 
bristle  on  the  tip  of  their  antenna?.  The  maggots  of  the 
latter  live  in  rich  mould. 

The  Syrphians  (SYRPHID^E)  have  a  fleshy,  large-lipped 
proboscis,  elbowed  near  the  base,  and  enclosing  only  four 

*  Canadian  Naturalist,  p.  199. 


THE    SYRPHIANS.  609 

slender  bristles.  They  live  on  the  honey  of  flowers.  The 
last  joint  of  their  short  antennae  bears  a  bristle,  which  is 
sometimes  feathered.  Their  heads  are  large  and  hemi- 
spherical. Many  of  these  flies  are  often  mistaken  for  bees 
or  wasps,  and  some  of  them  lay  their  eggs  in  the  nests  of 
the  insects  they  so  closely  resemble.  Others  drop  their 
eggs  among  plant-lice,  which  their  young  afterwards  destroy 
in  great  numbers.  The  Iarva3  of  a  few  are  aquatic,  and  are 
provided  with  very  long,  tubular  tails,  through  which  they 
breathe,  and  have  been  called  rat-tailed  maggots.  Some  of 
the  largest  and  most  beautiful  of  these  flies  live,  in  the 
maggot  state,  in  rotten  wood.  One  of  these  rat-tailed  flies 
is  often  seen  on  windows,  in  the  autumn.  It  flies  with  a 
buzzing  noise.  Its  eyes  are  very  large,  and  of  a  bright 
copper-color ;  its  body  is  brassy  green ;  and  there  are  five 
gray  stripes  on  the  thorax.  It  measures  about  four  tenths 
of  an  inch  hi  length.  It  is  the 
Eristalis  sincerus6  of  my  Cata- 
logue. The  Milesia  excentrica 7 
(Fig.  267),  named  in  the  same 
work,  strikingly  resembles  a  hornet ; 
its  hind  body  being  banded  with 
black  and  yellow  in  the  same  way. 
Its  head  and  thorax  are  black,  the  former  margined  around 

[6  Eristalis  sincerus,  Harris,  is  identical  with  E.  ceneus,  Linn.,  so  common  in 
Europe.  —  OSTEJJ  SACKEN.] 

[  i  The  description  of  this  species  is  too  short  to  have  a  scientific  value.  In 
order  to  prevent  its  being  superseded  hy  a  subsequent  description,  under  some 
other  name,  I  subjoin  a  full  description. 

Milesia  excentrica,  Harris.  Thorace  nigro,  flavomaculato,  sattello  asneo;  ab- 
domine  flavo,  nigro  fasciato;  pedibus  fulvis;  tibiis,  tarsisque  anticis  nigris; 
Length,  -^  to  y8^-  inch. 

Male :  Hypostoma  golden-yellow,  sericeous,  with  a  shining  black  stripe  in  the 
middle.  Antenna  pale  ferruginous;  the  space  between  the  eyes  has  the  form  of  a 
triangle,  which  is  golden-yellow  at  the  tip,  and  black  on  the  vertex.  The  hind 
part  of  the  head  is  sericeous,  yellow  along  the  borders.  Thorax  black ;  a  yellow 
spot  on  the  shoulder,  another  behind  it,  from  which  runs  a  narrow  groove,  yellow 
at  the  bottom ;  a  third  yellow,  elongated  spot,  pointed  upwards,  near  the  corner  of 
the  scutellum.  A  gray  stripe  runs  along  the  middle  of  the  thorax;  it  becomes 
very  faint  beyond  the  centre  and  ends  in  a  triangular  yellowish  spot  near  the  sc»- 
77 


610  DIPTERA. 

the  eyes,  and  the  latter  spotted,  with  yellowish  white.  The 
legs  are  ochre-yellow,  except  the  shanks  and  feet  of  the 

first   pair,   which  are   black.     Its 

Fig.  268.  .      ,  1,1 

body  measures  nearly  three  quar- 
ters of  an  inch  in  length.  My 
Sphecomyia  undata  (Fig.  268)  has 
the  slender  form  of  a  Sphex  or 
mud-wasp.  It  is  of  a  light-brown 
color,  darker  on  the  back,  and 
on  the  middle  of  the  thighs  and 
shanks;  its  head  is  conical,  and  bears  the  antennae  on  the 
tip  of  the  cone ;  its  wings  are  brown  on  the  outer  part,  with 
a  small  transparent  spot  near  the  edge,  and  the  inner  part 
is  transparent  in  two  large  wavy  spaces.  It  is  about  five 
eighths  of  an  inch  long,  and  its  wings  expand  one  inch  and 
a  quarter,  or  more.  It  is  possible  that  this  singular  fly  may 
be  the  Pyrgota  undata  of  Wiedemann.8  An  insect  closely 

tillum.  Pleura  with  an  elongated  yellow  spot.  Scutellum  brassy  green,  metalles- 
cent.  Poitert  pale  ferruginous.  Legs  yellowish  ferruginous,  fore  tibiae  (excepting 
the  knees)  and  tarsi  black.  Hind  thighs  unarmed.  Wings  tinged  with  gray  and 
brown ;  a  pale  stripe  along  the  latter  part  of  the  cubital  vein;  another  runs  along 
the  pobrachial  area  and  reaches  the  posterior  margin.  Abdomen  yellow ;  first  seg- 
ment black ;  the  three  following  segments  have  more  or  less  black  at  the  incis- 
ures  along  the  fore  border,  and  a  black  band,  attenuated  at  both  ends,  and  not 
reaching  the  lateral  borders,  in  the  middle;  the  band  on  the  second  segment  is  the 
broadest,  and  is  sometimes  connected  with  the  black  of  the  first  segment ;  those  of 
the  third  and  fourth  segments  are  interrupted  in  the  middle.  Venter  yellow,  with 
large  black  spots  on  the  middle  of  the  segments;  sexual  organs  pale  ferruginous. 

Female:  shows  the  following  differences:  front  yellow,  with  a  black  stripe  ex- 
tending towards  the  black  vertex.  Beside  the  three  pairs  of  spots  already  men- 
tioned on  the  thorax,  there  is  a  fourth  pair  in  the  middle  of  the  disk,  each  of  the 
spots  communicating  by  the  groove  with  the  second  lateral  spot.  The  black  bands 
on  the  segments  of  the  abdomen  are  broader,  and  connect  at  the  fore  and  hind 
borders  with  the  black  incisures;  the  fifth  segment  has  a  similar  band.  The  icings 
are  more  tinged  with  ferruginous  than  with  gray;  the  pale  stripes  less  apparent. 
B*M  of  thighs  more  or  less  blackish. 

I  have  before  me  two  males  from  Illinois,  collected  by  Mr.  Kennicott,  and  one 
female  from  Maine,  collected  by  Mr.  Packard. 

This  species  is  very  much  like  the  European  M.  vespiformis,  Linn.— OSTEN 

K.W.] 

[  •  SfJteamyia  undala.  is  the  Pyrgota  undata,  Wied.  S.  valida  is  likewise  a 
Pyrgota,  bat  a  new  species.  Myopa  nigripennis,  Gray,  might  belong  to  the  same 
group,  as  the  figure  in  Griffith's  Animal  Kingdom  seems  to  prove.  —  OSTEN  SACKEN.] 


THE    CONOPIANS.  611 

resembling  it  is  figured  in  Griffith's  translation  of  Cuvier's 
"  Animal  Kingdom,"  under  the  name  of  Myopa  nigripennis. 
It  is  found  on  fences  around  gardens  in  May  and  June. 
It  sits  with  its  wings  half  spread,  moves  slowly,  and  flies 
heavily.  My  Sphecomyia  valida,  though  rather  shorter  than 
the  preceding,  has  a  thicker  body.  Its  color  is  brownish 
yellow,  and  it  is  striped  with  brown.  The  wings  are  trans- 
parent, and  are  mottled  with  small,  dusky  spots. 

Some   of  the   Conopians    (Conopidce)  still   more   closely 
resemble    slender-bodied    wasps    than    the 

Fig.  269. 

preceding  Sphex-flies.  Conops  sagittaria 
(Fig.  269)  of  Say  (nigricornis,  Wiedemann) 
might  almost  be  mistaken  for  a  species  of 
Eumenes.  Its  hind  body  is  very  slender 
and  cylindrical  next  to  the  thorax,  and 
swells  out  behind.  Its  antennae  are  long,  and  thickened 
towards  the  end.  Its  proboscis  is  very  long  and  slender, 
elbowed  at  the  base,  and  extends  far  beyond  the  head.  This 
fly  is  of  a  black  color ;  the  rings  of  the  hind  body  are  edged 
with  white  ;  the  face  is  yellow  ;  the  legs  are  brownish  yellow, 
shaded  with  black  on  the  thighs ;  and  the  wings  are  black, 
with  two  uncolored  and  wavy  spaces  on  the  inner  margin. 
Its  body  is  five  eighths  of  an  inch  long,  and  its  wings  expand 
rather  more  than  three  quarters  of  an  inch.  This  fly  may 
be  found  sucking  the  honey  of  flowers  in  June  and  July. 
The  Greeks  gave  the  name  of  Conops  to  some  stinging 
fly  or  gnat.  The  Conopians  undergo  their  transformations 
in  the  bodies  of  humble-bees,  their  young  subsisting  on 
the  fat  contained  within  the  abdomen  of  then*  luckless 
victims. 

A  host  of  flies,  forming  nearly  one  third  of  the  whole  num- 
ber of  species  in  the  order  DIPTERA,  will  be  found  to  have  a 
short  and  soft  proboscis,  ending  with  large  fleshy  lips,  enclos- 
ing only  two  bristles,  and  capable  of  being  drawn  up  within 
the  cavity  of  the  mouth.  Their  antennse  are  generally  short, 
hang  down  over  the  face,  and  end  with  a  large  oval  joint, 


612  DIPTERA. 

bearing  a  little  bristle.  Their  larvae,  or  young,  are  fleshy, 
whitish  maggots,  which  never  cast  their  skins,  but,  when 
the  pupa  state  comes  on,  shorten,  take  the  oblong-oval 
form  of  an  egg,  and  become  brown,  dry,  and  hard  on  the 
outside.  This  immense  tribe  includes  the  various  kinds  of 
flesh-flies,  blow-flies,  house-flies,  dung-flies,  flower-flies,  fruit- 
flies,  two-winged  gall-flies,  cheese-flies,  and  many  others, 
for  which  we  have  no  common  names,  but  all  composing 
the  tribe  of  Muscans,  or  MUSCADJE.  Some  of  these  flies 
do  not  strictly  conform  to  the  foregoing  characters  of  the 
tribe,  in  all  respects ;  but  the  exceptions  are  few  in  number, 
and  the  most  remarkable  of  them  will  be  noticed  in  the 
following  pages. 

Many  flies  of  this  tribe  are  parasitic  in  their  larva  state, 
their  young  living  and  undergoing  their  transformations 
within  the  bodies  of  other  insects,  particularly  in  caterpillars, 
which  they  thereby  destroy.  These  flies  belong  chiefly  to 
the  family  of  TACHINAD.E,  a  name  applied  to  them  on  account 
of  the  swiftness  of  their  flight.  In  form  they  somewhat 
resemble  house-flies ;  like  them,  they  have  very  large  wing- 
lets,  and  their  wings  spread  apart  when  they  are  at  rest. 
They  are  easily  distinguished,  however,  by  the  stiff  hairs 
wherewith  they  are  more  or  less  covered,  and  by  the  bristles 
on  their  antennae,  which  are  not  usually  feathered.  A  large 
fly  of  this  kind,  the  Tachina  vivida  (Plate  VIII.  Fig.  1)  of 
my  Catalogue,  is  often  seen  on  fences,  and  on  plants,  and 
sometimes  in  houses,  towards  the  end  of  June  and  during 
the  month  of  July.  Its  large,  oval  hind  body  is  of  a  clear 
and  light  red  color,  with  two  or  three  black  spots,  in  a 
row,  on  the  top  of  it,  and  a  thick  row  of  black  bristles  across 
each  ring.  The  face  is  grayish  white,  like  satin,  and  the 
eyes  are  copper-colored.  The  thorax  is  gray,  with  brownish 
lines  upon  it.  The  antennae,  proboscis,  and  legs  are  light 
red.  Its  body  is  short  and  thick,  and  is  about  half  an  inch 
long,  and  its  wings  expand  rather  more  than  nine  tenths 
of  an  inch. 


THE    TACHINAD2E.  613 

Most  insects  are  hatched  from  eggs  which  are  laid  by  the 
mother  on  the  substances  that  are  to  serve  for  the  food  of 
her  young.  Some  flesh-flies  produce  their  young  alive,  or 
already  hatched,  and  drop  them  on  the  dead  and  putrefying 
animal  matter,  which  they  are  to  consume  and  remove  in 
the  shortest  possible  time.  An  exception  from  the  usual 
course  among  insects  appears  therefore  to  have  been  made 
in  favor  of  these  viviparous  flesh-flies,  to  enable  their  young 
promptly  to  perform  their  appointed  tasks.  These  insects 
produce  an  immense  number  of  young,  as  many  as  twenty 
thousand  having  been  observed  by  Reaumur  in  a  single  fly.* 
Our  largest  viviparous  flesh-fly  is  the  Sarcophaga  Georgina 
of  Wiedemann.  It  appears  towards  the  end  of  June,  and 
continues  till  the  middle  of  August,  or  perhaps  later.  Its 
face  is  silvery  white,  and  there  is  an  oblong  square  black 
spot  between  the  eyes,  which  are  copper-colored.  The  tho- 
rax is  light  gray,  with  seven  black  stripes  upon  it.  The 
hind  body  is  nearly  conical,  has  the  lustre  of  satin,  and  is 
checkered  with  square  spots  of  black  and  white,  shifting  or 
interchanging  their  colors  according  to  the  light  wherein 
they  are  seen.  The  legs  are  black,  and  the  hindmost  pair 
are  very  hairy  in  the  males.  The  female  is  about  half  an 
inch  long ;  the  male  is  rather  smaller.  In  the  Sarcophagans, 
or  flesh-eaters,  as  the  name  implies,  the  bristles  on  the  an- 
tennas are  feathered. 

The  flies  that  abound  in  stables  in  August  and  September, 
and  sometimes  enter  houses  on  the  approach  of  rain,  might 
be  mistaken  for  house-flies,  were  it  not  for  the  severity  of 
their  bites,  which  are  often  felt  through  our  clothing,  and 
are  generally  followed  by  blood.  Upon  examination  they 
will  be  found  to  differ  essentially  from  house-flies  in  their 
proboscis,  which  is  very  long  and  slender,  and  projects  hori- 
zontally beyond  the  head.  The  bristles  on  their  antenna} 
are  feathered  above.  Cattle  suffer  sorely  from  the  piercing 
bites  of  these  flies,  and  horses  are  sometimes  so  much  tor- 

*  M^moires,  Vol.  IV.  p.  417. 


614  DIPTERA. 

mented  and  enraged  by  them  as  to  become  entirely  ungov- 
ernable in  harness.  The  name  of  this  kind  of  fly  is  Stomoxys 
rig  270  calcitrans  (Fig.  270)  ;  the  first  word  signifying 
sharp-mouthed,  and  the  second  kicking,  given 
to  the  fly  from  the  effect  it  produces  on  horses. 
It  lays  its  eggs  in  dung,  where  its  young  are 
hatched,  and  pass  through  their  transformations. 
The  larvae  and  pupae  do  not  differ  much  in  appearance 
from  those  of  common  house-flies. 

The  next  three  flies  have  feathered  bristles  on  their  an- 
FI    2n  tenna3.     The   first   of   them,   a   large, 

buzzing,  and  stinking  meat-fly,  named 
Musca  (Calliphord)  vomitoria  (Fig.  271), 
is  of  a  blue-black  color,  with  a  broad, 
dark  blue,  and  hairy  hind  body.  It 
is  found  all  summer  about  slaughter- 
houses, butchers'  stalls,  and  pantries,  which  it  frequents  for 
the  purpose  of  laying  its  eggs  on  meat.  The  eggs  are  com- 
monly called  fly-blows ;  they  hatch  in  two  or  three  hours 
after  they  are  laid,  and  the  maggots  produced  from  them 
come  to  their  growth  in  three  or  four  days,  after  which  they 
creep  away  into  some  dark  crevice,  or  burrow  in  the  ground, 
if  they  can  get  at  it,  turn  to  egg-shaped  pupae,  and  come 
out  as  flies,  in  a  few  days  more  ;  or  they  remain  unchanged 
through  the  winter,  if  they  have  been  hatched  late  in  sum- 
mer. A  smaller  fly,  of  a  brilliant  blue-green  color,  with 
black  legs,  also  lays  its  eggs  on  meat,  but  more  often  on 
dead  animals  in  the  fields.  It  seems  hardly  to  differ  from 
the  Musca  (Lueilid)  Ocesar  of  Europe. 

The  house-fly  of  this  country  has  been  supposed  to  be  the 
same  as  the  European  Musca  domestica ;  but  I  cannot  satisfy 
myself  on  this  point  for  the  want  of  specimens  from  Europe. 
It  is  possible  that  our  sharp-biting  stable-flies,  the  meat-flies, 
and  the  house-fly,  may  really  be  distinct  species  from  those 
which  are  found  in  Europe.  Our  house-fly  is  the  Musca 
Harpyia,  or  Harpy-fly,  of  my  Catalogue.  It  begins  to 


FLOWER-FLIES.  615 

appear  in  houses   in    July,   becomes   exceedingly  abundant 
in    September,  and   does   not   disappear  till  killed  by  cold 
weather.    It  is  probable  that,  like  the  domestic  fly  of  Europe, 
it  lays  its  eggs  in  dung,  in  which  its  larvae  live,  and  pass 
through  their  changes  of  form.     The  Americans  are  accused 
of  carelessness  in  regard  to  flies,  and  apparently  with  some 
reason.      But   if  these    filthy,    dung-bred   creatures   swarm 
in  some  houses,  covering  every  article  of  food  by  day,  and 
absolutely  blackening   the  walls    by  night,  in  others   com- 
paratively few  are   found ;   for  the  tidy  housekeeper  takes 
care  not  to  leave  food  of  any  kind  standing  about,  uncovered, 
to  entice  them  in,  and  makes  a  business  of  driving  out  the 
intruders  at  least  once  a  day.     If  a  plateful  of  strong  green 
tea,  well  sweetened,  be  placed  in  an  outer  apartment  acces- 
sible to  flies,  they  will  taste  of  it,  and  be  killed  thereby,  as 
surely  as   by  the  most   approved   fly-poison.     In   the   first 
volume  of  "  The  Transactions  of  the  Entomological  Society 
of  London,"  Mr.  Spence  gives  an  account  of  a  mode  of  ex- 
cluding  flies  from  apartments,  which  has  been  tried  with 
complete  success  in  England.    It  consists  of  netting,  made  of 
fine  worsted  or  thread,  in  large  meshes,  or  of  threads  alone, 
half  an  inch  or  more  apart,  stretched  across  the  windows. 
It  appears  that  the  flies  will  not  attempt  to  pass  through 
the  meshes,  or  between  the  threads,  into  a  room  which  is 
lighted  only  on  one  side ;  but  if  there  are  windows  on  another 
side  of  the  room  they  will  then  fly  through ;  such  windows 
should  therefore  be  darkened  with  shutters  or  thick  curtains. 
The  Anthomyians,  or  flower-flies  (ANTHOMYIAD.E),   are 
easily  distinguished   from   the  preceding   flies,    which   they 
otherwise  resemble,  by  the  smaller  size  of  their  winglets, 
and  by  the  mesh  in  the  middle  of  their  wings,  which  is 
long,  narrow,  and  open  at  the  end.     They  are  smaller  in- 
sects than  the  foregoing,  their  flight  is  more  feeble,  their 
wings,  when  at  rest,  do  not  spread  so  much,  and  the  bristle 
on  the  last  joint  of  their  antennaB  is  not  often  feathered. 
Most   of  them  frequent   flowers,   and   are   sometimes   seen 


616  DIPTERA., 

sporting  together,  in  large  swarms,  in  the  air,  like  certain 
kinds  of  gnats.  In  the  larva  state  some  of  them  live  in 
manure,  and  in  rotten  vegetable  substances ;  others  are 
found  in  the  roots  of  living  plants,  such  as  onions,  radishes, 
turnips,  and  even  in  the  pulpy  parts  of  leaves  and  of  stems, 
which  they  devour.  The  latter  have  nearly  the  same  form 
as  the  maggots  of  common  flies ;  some  of  the  former  are 
shorter,  flattened,  and  fringed  on  the  sides  with  feathery 
hairs. 

Many  instances  are  recorded  of  these  fringed  maggots 
having  been  discharged  from  the  human  body.  They  are 
supposed  to  be  the  young  of  a  fly  named  Anihomyia  {Homa- 
lomyia)  scalaris.*  Flies  closely  resembling  this  are  some- 
times seen  in  privies,  and  a  friend  has  presented  me  with 
one  of  them,  together  with  the  dried  larva-skin  out  of  which 
it  came.  The  larva  was  found  in  excrement.  The  fly  is 
grayish  black,  and  hairy,  with  large  copper-colored  eyes, 
which  are  surrounded  by  a  narrow  silvery  white  line.  It 
measures  one  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length.  The  larva-skin 
has  two  rows  of  hairs  on  the  back,  and  two  more  on  each 
side.  Another  fly,  sometimes  seen  on  windows  in  the  au- 
tumn, is  produced,  if  I  mistake  not,  from  a  hairy  maggot 
that  lives  in  rotten  turnips.  Tliis  fly  strikingly  resembles 
the  Anihomyia  canicularis  of  Europe,  and  is  possibly  iden- 
tical with  it.  It  is  of  a  dark  gray  color,  with  copper-colored 
eyes,  encircled  by  a  silvery  white  line,  and  with  a  large, 
semitransparent,  yellowish  spot  on  each  side  of  the  first  three 
rings  of  the  hind  body.  It  measures  rather  less  than  one 
quarter  of  an  inch  in  length.  The  fringed  maggots  of  the 
canicularis  are  stated  by  some  naturalists  to  have  been  ob- 
tained from  the  human  body.  It  is  not  impossible  that  they 
may  have  been  swallowed  with  turnips,  or  other  vegetables, 
eaten  when  going  to  decay. 

Radishes,  while  growing,  are  very  apt  to  be  attacked  by 

•  For  an  account  of  the  transformations  of  the  fly  of  privies,  with  figures,  see 
Swammerdam't  "  Book  of  Nature,"  translated  by  Hill,  Part  IL  p.  38,  plate  38. 


THE    ONION-FLY.  617 

maggots,  and  rendered  unfit  to  be  eaten.  These  maggots 
are  finally  transformed  to  small,  ash-colored  flies,  with  a 
silvery-gray  face,  copper-colored  eyes,  and  a  brown  spot  on 
the  forehead  of  the  females ;  they  have  some  faint  brownish 
lines  on  the  thorax,  and  a  longitudinal  black  line  on  the 
hind  body,  crossed  by  narrower  black  lines  on  the  edges 
of  the  rings.  They  vary  in'  size,  but  usually  measure  rather 
more  than  one  fifth  of  an  inch  in  length.  They  finish  their 
transformations,  and  appear  above  ground,  towards  the  end 
of  June.  The  radish-fly  is  called  Anthomyia  Raphani,  in 
my  Catalogue,  from  the  botanical  name  of  the  radish,  on 
the  root  of  which  its  larvae  feed.  It  closely  resembles  the 
root-fly  (Anihomyia  radicum)  of  Europe. 

Onions,  soon  after  they  come  up  in  the  spring,  and  until 
they  are  grown  to  a  considerable  size,  are  often  observed  to 
turn  yellow  and  die.  Many  years  ago  I  remember  to  have 
seen  them  extensively  affected  in  this  way,  so  that  there  was 
a  failure  of  three  fourths  of  the  plants  in  a  large  bed.  The 
cause  of  their  death  was  not  suspected  at  the  time,  and  no 
examination  was  made  for  the  discovery  of  insects  in  them. 
Since  then,  I  have  been  favored  by  Mr.  Westwood  with 
copies  of  two  articles*  by  him,  on  the  onion-fly 
Ceparurri),  (Fig.  272,  pupa  and  imago,) 
which,  in  the  maggot  state,  lives  in  the  roots 
of  onion-plants  in  Europe,  and  causes  them  to 
wither  and  perish  exactly  in  the  same  way  as 
young  onions  do  here.  Hence  there  is  good 
reason  to  believe  that  the  failure  of  our  onion  crop  is  caused 
by  the  ravages  of  maggots  similar  to  those  of  the  European 
onion-fly.  The  latter  lays  its  eggs  on  the  leaves  of  the 
onion,  close  to  the  earth,  so  that  the  maggots,  when  hatched, 
readily  make  their  way  to  the  heart  of  the  onion.  The 
maggots  come  to  their  growth  in  about  two  weeks,  turn  to 

*  See  the  Magazine  of  Natural  History,  Vol.  VII.  p.  425,  and  the  Gardener's 
Magazine,  Vol.  XIII.  p.  241.  The  same  insect  is  also  described  and  figured  in 
Kollar's  Treatise,  p.  167. 

78 


618  DIPTEBA. 

pupae  within  the  onions,  and  come   out  as  flies  a  fortnight 
afterwards. 

We  have  a  kind  of  fly  corresponding  almost  exactly  with 
the  description  of  the  onion-fly.  This  strengthens  my  belief 
that  our  onions  suffer  from  the  depredations  of  the  maggots 
of  this  or  of  a  similar  insect.  The  fly  to  which  I  allude  is 
often  found  on  windows  in  the  spring.  It  is  ash-colored, 
with  black  hairs  sparingly  scattered  on  its  body.  It  has  a 
rust-colored  forked  spot  on  the  top  of  its  head,  and  three 
rust-red  lines  on  the  thorax ;  and  the  wings  are  tinged  with 
yellow  near  the  shoulders.  It  measures  one  fourth  of  an 
inch  in  length.  It  is  stated  that  there  are  two  or  three 
generations  of  the  European  onion-flies  during  the  summer, 
and  that  the  late  broods  pass  the  winter  in  the  pupa  state, 
and  are  ready  to  burst  forth  at  the  first  warmth  of  the  fol- 
lowing spring.  It  is  stated  that  the  onion  crop  may  be  pre- 
served from  the  attacks  of  this  fly,  by  sowing  the  seed  on 
ground  upon  which  a  quantity  of  straw  has  been  previously 
burnt. 

The  peculiar  disease  that  has  affected  potatoes  within  the 
last  ten  years  has  been  attributed,  by  many  persons,  to  the 
depredations  of  insects.  In  the  course  of  this  work,  several 
of  these  insects  have  been  described.  Another  is  now  to  be 
added  to  them,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  extract  from 
a  letter,  received  from  a  correspondent  in  July,  1851.  "  A 
new  potato-rot  theory  has  recently  appeared  in  Brattlebor- 
ough,  Vermont.  The  mischief  is  referred  to  a  fly,  of  which 
an  authentic  specimen  is  enclosed.  It  is  said  that  the  species 
first  appeared  simultaneously  with  the  potato-rot;  and  the 
flies  are  accused  of  hovering  about  the  manure,  and  deposit- 
ing their  eggs,  so  that  the  larvae  infect  the  potatoes."  The 
specimen  proved  to  be  a  common  dung-fly,  which  may  be 
found  in  abundance  upon  manure  when  carted  into  the  field 
in  the  spring.  The  male  is  easily  distinguished  from  other 
flies  by  its  yellow  and  very  hairy  hind  body  and  legs,  and 
by  its  long  and  narrow  wings.  It  is  about  half  as  large  as  a 


THE    DUNG-FLIES.  619 

honey-bee ;  and  it  measures,  from  the  face  to  the  tips  of  the 
closed  wings,  from  two  fifths  to  one  half  of  an  inch,  or  more. 
The  females  are  smaller,  olive-colored,  and  sparingly  clothed 
with  short  whitish  hairs,  with  legs  and  wings  like  those  of  the 
male.  The  maggots  or  young,  with  the  parent  insects,  live 
wholly  upon  dung,  and  are  innocent  of  any  injury  to  plants. 
The  accusation  brought  against  this  insect  entitles  it  to 
notice  in  this  work,  and  to  the  distinction  of  a  name  and 
character  by  which  it  may  hereafter  be  known.  It  may, 
therefore,  be  called  Scatophaga  furcata,*  the  forked  dung- 
eater. 

The  dung-flies,  or  Scatomyians  (SCATOMYZAIXE),  in  some 
of  their  characters,  resemble  the  flower-flies,  having  similar 
wings,  and  very  small  ringlets;  but  their  eyes  are  wide 
apart,  and  are  of  the  same  size  in  both  sexes.  The  fly  in 
question  keeps  its  body  remarkably  clean,  notwithstanding 
its  dirty  habits,  and  is  neither  offensive  to  the  eye  nor  to  the 
smell.  The  general  color  of  the  male  is  a  bright  ochre- 
yellow.  The  antenna  are  pale  red,  and  there  is  a  wide 
forked  red  spot  on  the  top  of  the  head.  The  thorax  is 
obscurely  striped  with  brown  above,  and  is  lead-colored 
below  the  scutel.  The  hind  body  is  oblong  oval,  and  covered 
with  long  ochre-yellow  hairs.  The  wings  are  ochre-yellow 
at  the  base  and  on  the  outer  margin ;  and  the  two  little 
transverse  veins  upon  each  of  them  are  very  conspicuous 
from  their  dark  color  and  dusky  borders.  The  legs  are  red- 
dish yellow,  and  covered  with  long  ochre-yellow  hairs,  inter- 
mixed with  which  there  are  a  few  black  bristles ;  and  there 
is  a  faint  blackish  line  on  the  top  of  the  first  pair  of  thighs. 
A  few  black  bristles  are  scattered  upon  the  head  and  the  top 
of  the  thorax.  The  bristle  of  the  antennae,  when  viewed 
with  a  powerful  magnifier,  is  found  to  be  covered  with  very 
minute  hairs. 

*  Pyropa  fttrcata,  Say.  Journ.  Acad.  Nat  Sciences,  Vol.  HI.  p.  98.  To  an 
imperfect  specimen  of  this  insect,  Mr.  Say  gave  the  name  of  Scatophaga  ^itffffmt, 
which  it  bears  in  the  Catalogue  of  the  Insects  of  Massachusetts. 


620  DIPTERA. 

Some  two-winged  flies  deposit  their  eggs  in  the  stems, 
buds,  and  leaves  of  plants,  thereby  producing  large  tumors 
or  galls,  wherein  their  young  reside.  Others  lay  their  eggs 
in  fruits,  on  the  pulp  of  which  their  maggots  live.  These 
gall  and  fruit  flies  belong  to  a  family  called  Ortalidians 
(ORTALIDIDJE),  from  a  word  signifying  to  flap  or  shake  the 
wings ;  for  they  keep  their  wings  in  motion  nearly  all  the 
time,  jerking  them  up  and  down,  and  twisting  them  round 
so  that  the  thick  outer  edges  often  come  together.  Some 
of  them  are  in  the  habit  of  suddenly  raising  their  wings 
perpendicularly  above  their  backs,  and  running  along  a  few 
steps  with  them  spread  like  the  tail  of  a  peacock.  These 
insects,  together  with  several  other  groups  of  flies,  differ  from 
all  the  foregoing  in  many  respects,  although  they  agree  with 
them  in  their  transformations.  The  forehead  is  broad  in 
both  sexes ;  their  winglets  are  very  small  or  entirely  want- 
ing ;  their  powers  of  flight  are  feeble ;  and  they  are  rarely 
found  sporting  on  flowers  in  the  sunshine,  but  seem  generally 
to  prefer  shady  and  damp  places. 

The  wings  of  the  Ortalidians  are  often  beautifully  varie- 
gated, striped,  or  spotted  with  shades  of  brown  or  black. 
The  hind  body  in  the  female  generally  ends  with  a  pointed 
tube,  wherewith  the  eggs  are  deposited.  The  little  white 
maggots  often  found  in  over-ripe  whortleberries,  raspberries, 
cherries,  and  other  fruits,  are  the  young  of  some  of  these 
insects.  Swellings,  or  galls,  as  large  as  a  walnut,  are  often 
seen  on  the  stems  of  some  of  our  native  asters  or  starworts. 
They  are  caused  by  the  punctures  of  a  fly,  which  lays  its 
eggs,  singly,  in  the  stem,  when  the  latter  is  tender.  The 
puncture  is  followed  by  a  spongy  swelling,  wherein  the 
maggot,  hatched  from  the  egg,  lives,  and  passes  through  its 
transformations.  The  insect  finally  comes  out  in  the  fly 
state,  through  a  small  hole  previously  made  in  the  gall  by 
the  maggot.  This  fly  may  be  called  the  gall-fly  of  the  star- 
wort  (Tephritis  Asteris).  Its  body  is  about  one  fifth  of  an 
inch  long ;  it  is  of  a  light  yellowish-brown  color,  with  paler 


THE    OSCINIANS.  621 

legs ;  the  wings  are  broad,  rounded  at  the  tip,  and  clouded 
with  brown  in  large  spots,  forming  three  wide,  irregular 
bands  across  them. 

Many  of  the  smallest  flies,  belonging  to  several  other 
groups,  are  placed  near  the  end  of  the  order.  One  of  them 
has  a  head  like  a  hammer-headed  shark,  short  and  very 
wide,  with  large  globular  eyes  on  each  side  of  it.  This  little 
insect  has  been  found  in  considerable  numbers,  flying  near 
the  ground,  on  the  edges  of  banks.  It  is  the  Sphyracephala 
brevicomis  of  Mr.  Say,  and  is  figured  and  described  in  the 
third  volume  of  his  "  American  Entomology."  The  well- 
known  cheese-maggots  are  the  young  of  a  fly  (Piophtta 
casei),  not  more  than  three  twentieths  of  an  inch  long,  of  a 
shining  black  color,  with  the  middle  and  hinder  legs  mostly 
yellowish,  and  the  wings  transparent  like  glass. 

Some  minute  flies,  belonging  to  a  family  called  OSCTNIILE, 
are  found  to  be  very  injurious  to  wheat,  rye,  and  barley,  in 
Europe.  One  of  them  ( Oscinis  frit),  a  shining  black  fly, 
with  yellowish  feet,  and  measuring  about  one  tenth  of  an 
inch  in  length,  lays  its  eggs  in  the  blossoms  of  barley,  the 
grains  of  which  afterwards  perish  in  consequence  of  the 
depredations  of  the  maggots  of  this  fly ;  and  Linnaeus  states 
that  a  tenth  part  of  the  produce  of  the  barley  in  Sweden  is 
thereby  annually  destroyed.  The  larvae  or  maggots  of  Os- 
cinis lineata,  Chlorops  pumilionis,  Chlorops  gldbra,  and  other 
flies  allied  to  them,  live  within  the  lower  part  of  the  stems 
of  wheat,  rye,  and  barley,  thereby  impoverishing  the  plants, 
and  causing  them  to  become  stinted  in  their  growth.  They 
are  rather  larger  insects  than  the  frit-fly,  and  have  black  and 
yellow  stripes  on  the  thorax. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  some  of  these  species,  or  other 
Oscinians,  with  similar  habits,  may  be  found  in  the  stems 
of  wheat  and  other  grains  in  this  country,  and  perhaps  also 
in  the  ears.  Several  kinds  of  small  flies,  evidently  different 
from  the  Hessian  and  wheat  flies,  have  often  been  observed 
here,  in  fields  of  grain,  when  the  plants  are  in  flower ;  but 


622  DIPTEBA. 

their  history  has  not  yet  been  investigated,  and  the  insects 
have  not  been  scientifically  examined  and  described.  From 
the  somewhat  vague  accounts  that  have  been  given  of  them, 
it  is  evident  that  they  are  much  too  large  for  any  of  the 
parasitical  insects  which  attack  the  Iarva3  and  eggs  of  the 
Hessian  and  wheat  flies ;  and  they  appear  sometimes  to  have 
been  mistaken  for  the  latter.  In  an  extract  from  a  paper 
by  Mr.  Worth,  on  the  Hessian  fly,  mention  is  made  of  a 
pale  yellow  worm  (maggot),  about  three  sixteenths  of  an 
inch  long,  having  been  found  by  him  within  the  stalks 
of  wheat  near  the  root,  where  its  presence  was  detected 
by  a  swelling  of  the  part  attacked.  This  was  perhaps  the 
larva  of  one  of  the  Oscinians.  A  careful  examination  of 
all  the  insects  that  inhabit  our  fields  of  grain  is  very  much 
wanted. 

The  various  insects,  improperly  called  bot-bees,  are  two- 
winged  flies,  and  belong  to  the  order  Diptera,  and  the  fam- 
ily GEsTRiD^E,  so  named  from  the  principal  genus  in  it. 
Bot-flies  do  not  seem  to  have  any  mouth  or  proboscis ;  for 
although  these  parts  do  really  exist  in  them,  the  opening 
of  the  mouth  is  extremely  small,  and  the  proboscis  is  very 
short,  and  is  entirely  concealed  in  it ;  so  that  these  insects, 
while  in  the  winged  state,  do  not  appear  to  be  able  to  take 
any  nourishment.  They  somewhat  resemble  the  Syrphians 
in  form  and  color,  and  in  the  large  size  of  their  heads ; 
but  the  eyes  are  proportionally  small,  and  there  is  a  large 
space  between  them.  The  face  is  swollen  or  puffed  out 
before.  The  antenna  are  very  short,  and  almost  buried 
in  two  little  holes,  close  together,  on  the  forehead.  The 
winglets  are  large  and  entirely  cover  the  poisers.  The 
hind  body  of  the  females  ends  with  a  conical  tube,  bent 
under  the  body,  and  used  for  depositing  the  eggs,  which 
the  insect  lays  whilst  flying.  The  larva  or  young  of  bot- 
flies live  in  various  parts  of  the  bodies  of  animals.  They 
are  thick,  fleshy,  whitish  maggots,  without  feet,  tapering 
towards  the  head,  which  is  generally  armed  with  two 


THE    BOT-FLIES.  623 

hooks ;  and  the  rings  of  the  body  are  surrounded  with 
rows  of  smaller  hooks  or  prickles.  When  they  are  fully 
grown,  they  drop  to  the  ground  and  burrow  in  it  a  short 
distance.  After  this,  the  skin  of  the  maggot  becomes  a 
hard  and  brownish  shell,  within  which  the  insect  turns  to 
a  pupa,  and  finally  to  a  fly.  and  comes  out  by  pushing  off 
a  little  piece  like  a  lid  from  the  small  end  of  the  shell. 

More  than  twenty  different  kinds  of  bot-flies  are  already 
known,  and  several  of  them  are  found  in  this  country. 
Some  of  them  have  been  brought  here  with  our  domesti- 
cated animals  from  abroad,  and  have  here  multiplied  and 
increased.  Three  of  them  attack  the  horse.  The  large  bot- 
fly of  the  horse  (G-asterophilus  equi),  (Plate  VIII.  Fig.  2,) 
has  spotted  wings.  She  lays  her  eggs  about  his  knees ;  the 
small  red-tailed  species  ( Gr.  hcemorrhoidalis)  on  his  lips ; 
and  the  brown  farrier  bot-fly  (  Gr.  veterinus)  under  his  throat, 
according  to  Dr.  Roland  Green.  By  rubbing  and  biting  the 
parts  where  the  eggs  are  laid,  the  horse  gets  the  maggots 
into  his  mouth,  and  swallows  them  with  his  food.  The  in- 
sects then  fasten  themselves,  in  clusters,  to  the  inside  of  his 
stomach,  and  live  there  till  they  are  fully  grown.  The  fol- 
lowing are  stated  to  be  the  symptoms  shown  by  the  horse 
when  he  is  much  infested  by  these  insects.  He  loses  flesh, 
coughs,  eats  sparingly,  and  bites  his  sides ;  at  length  he  has 
a  discharge  from  his  nose,  and  these  symptoms  are  followed 
by  a  stiffness  of  his  legs  and  neck,  staggering,  difficulty  in 
breathing,  convulsions,  and  death.  No  sure  and  safe  rem- 
edy has  yet  been  found  sufficient  to  remove  bots  from  the 
stomach  of  the  horse.  The  only  treatment  to  be  recom- 
mended is  copious  bleeding,  and  a  free  use  of  mild  oils,  in 
the  early  stages  of  the  attack.  The  preventive  means  are 
very  simple,  consisting  only  in  scraping  off  the  eggs  or 
nits  of  the  fly  every  day.* 

*  See  Dr.  Green's  "Natural  History  of  the  Horse-Bee,"  in  Adams's  Medical  and 
Agricultural  Register,  Vol.  I.  p.  63 ;  and  the  same  in  the  New  England  Farmer, 
Vol.  IV.  p.  345. 


624  DIPTERA. 

'  Bracy  Clark,  Esq.,  who  has  published  some  very  inter- 
esting remarks*  on  the  bots  of  horses  and  of  other  animals, 
maintains  that  bots  are  rather  beneficial  than  injurious  to 
the  animals  they  infest.  His  principal  work  on  this  sub- 
ject I  have  not  yet  seen.  The  maggots  (Fig. 
273)  of  the  (Estrw  lovis,  or  ox  bot-fly,  live 
in  large  open  boils,  sometimes  called  wornils 
or  wurmals,  that  is,  worm-holes,  on  the  backs 
of  cattle.  The  fly  is  rather  smaller  than  the 
horse  bot-fly,  although  it  comes  from  a  much  larger  mag- 
got. The  sheep  bot-fly  {Cephalemyia  ovis)  lays  its  eggs 
in  the  nostrils  of  sheep,  and  the  maggots  crawl  from  thence 
into  the  hollows  in  the  bones  of  the  forehead.  Deer  are 
also  afflicted  by  bots  peculiar  to  them.  Our  native  hare, 
or  rabbit,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  sometimes  has  very 
large  bots,  which  live  under  the  skin  of  his  back.  The 
fly  ((Estrus  buccatus)  is  as  big  as  our  largest  humble-bee, 
but  is  not  hairy.  It  is  of  a  reddish-black  color ;  the  face 
and  the  sides  of  the  hind  body  are  covered  with  a  bluish 
white  bloom ;  there  are  many  small  black  dots  on  the  lat- 
ter, and  six  or  eight  on  the  face.  This  fly  measures  seven 
eighths  of  an  inch  or  more  in  length,  and  its  wings  ex- 
pand about  three  quarters  of  an  inch.  It  is  rarely  seen  ; 
and  my  only  specimen  was  taken  in  the  month  of  July, 
many  years  ago. 

At  the  very  end  of  this  order  is  to  be  placed  a  remarkable 
group  of  insects,  which  seems  to  connect  the  flies  with  the 
true  ticks  and  spiders.  Some  of  these  insects  have  wings ; 
but  others  have  neither  wings  nor  poisers.  Of  the  winged 
kinds  there  is  one  (Hippobosca  equina)  that  nestles  in  the 
hair  of  the  horse ;  others  are  bird-flies  ( Ornithomyicf),  and 
live  in  the  plumage  of  almost  all  kinds  of  birds.  The  wing- 

"  Observations  on  the  Genus  (Estrus,"  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Linnaean 
Society,  Vol.  III.  p.  289,  with  figures;  "  On  the  Insect  called  Oistros  by  the  An- 
ciente,"  in  Vol.  XV.  of  the  same  work;  and  "An  Essay  on  the  Bots  of  Horses  and 
other  Animala,"  1  vol.  4to  (Lond.,  1816). 


CONCLUSION.  625 

less  kinds  have  sometimes  been  called  spider-flies,  from  their 
shape  ;  such  are  sheep-ticks  {Mellophagus  ovis),  and  bat-ticks 
(Nycteribia).  These  singular  creatures  are  not  produced 
from  eggs,  in  the  usual  way  among  insects,  but  are  brought 
forth  in  the  pupa  state,  enclosed  in  the  egg-shaped  skin 
of  the  larva,  which  is  nearly  as  large  as  the  body  of  the 
parent  insect.  This  egg-like  body  is  soft  and  white  at  first, 
but  soon  becomes  hard  and  brown.  It  is  notched  at  one 
end,  and  out  of  this  notched  part  the  enclosed  insect  makes 
its  way,  when  it  arrives  at  maturity. 

The  flea  (JPulex)  may  almost  be  considered  as  a  wing- 
less kind  of  fly.  Its  proboscis  seems  to  be  intermediate 
in  its  formation  between  that  of  flies  and  of  bugs  ;  its  an- 
tennas are  concealed  in  holes  in  the  sides  of  its  head,  like 
those  of  certain  water-bugs  (Nepa  and  Belostomd),  and 
somewhat  resemble  them  in  shape  ;  while  the  transfor- 
mations of  the  flea  are  not  very  much  unlike  those  of 
the  flies,  whose  maggots  cast  off  their  skins  on  becoming 
pupae. 


HAVING  now  arrived  at  the  end  of  my  work,  I  have  only 
to  add  a  few  remarks  by  way  of  conclusion.  It  has  been 
my  design  to  present  to  the  reader  a  sketch  of  the  scien- 
tific arrangement  of  the  principal  insects  which  are  inju- 
rious to  vegetation,  not  only  in  New  England,  but  in  most 
of  the  United  States.  The  descriptions  of  the  insects,  being 
drawn  up  in  familiar  language,  will  enable  him  to  recognize 
them,  when  seen  abroad,  in  all  their  forms  and  disguises. 
The  hints  and  practical  details,  scattered  throughout  the 
work,  it  is  hoped,  will  serve  as  a  guide  to  the  selection 
and  the  application  of  the  proper  remedies  for  the  depre- 
dations of  the  insects  described.  I  regret  that  it  has  not 
been  in  my  power  to  do  full  justice  to  this  important  sub- 
ject, which  is  far  from  having  been  exhausted.  My  object, 
79 


DIPTERA. 


however,  will  have  been  fully  attained,  if  this  treatise,  not- 
withstanding its  many  faults  and  imperfections,  should  be 
found  to  afford  any  facilities  for  the  study  of  our  native 
insects,  and  should  lead  to  the  discovery  and  general  adop- 
tion of  efficient  means  for  checking  their  ravages. 


APPENDIX. 


Fig.  274. 


Fig.  275. 


IT  having  been  thought  desirable,  in  consequence  of  the 
increased  ravages  of  the  "  army-worm  "  during  the  past 
year  (1861),  to  give  a  description  and  illustrations  of  it, 
although  not  specifically  referred  to  in  the  original  manu- 
script of  the  author  of  this  treatise,  the  following  account  has 
been  compiled  from  various  authentic  sources. 

The  army-worm  (Fig. 
274)  is  the  larva  of  a 
night-flying  moth,  Leuca- 
nia  unipuncta,  Haworth 
(Fig.  275).  (Synonymes, 
L.  extranea,  Gue"nee;  L. 
impuncta,  Stephens.)  The 
IMAGO  "  is  very  plain  and 
unadorned  in  its  appear- 
ance. The  eye,  on  first 
glancing  at  it,  only  rec- 
ognizes it  as  an  ordinary- 
looking  moth  of  a  tarnished 
yellowish  drab-color,  inclining  to  russet,  with  a  small  white  dot 
near  the  centre  of  its  fore  wings,  and  a  dusky  oblique  stripe  at 
their  tips.  On  coming  to  look  at  it  more  particularly,  we 
find  it  to  be  rather  less  than  an  inch  long,  to  the  end  of  its 
closed  wings,  or,  if  these  are  extended,  it  is  about  an  inch 
and  three  quarters  in  width,  different  specimens  varying 
somewhat  in  size.  Its  fore  wings  are  sprinkled  with  black- 
ish atoms,  and  a  short  distance  forward  of  their  hind  edge 
they  are  crossed  by  a  row  of  black  dots,  one  on  each  of  the 
veins.  Outside  of  the  middle  of  the  wing  this  row  of  dots 
suddenly  curves  forward,  and  from  this  curve  a  dusky  streak 
runs  to  the  tip  of  the  wing,  the  ground-color  being  more  pale 

and  clearer  yellow  along  the  outer  side  of  this  streak 

79* 


628  APPENDIX. 

Nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  wing  is  a  milk-white  dot  placed 
upon  the  mid- vein.  This  dot  is  surrounded  more  or  less  by 
a  dusky  cloud,  and  this  duskiness  is  frequently  extended  for- 
ward upon  the  mid-vein  to  its  base,  forming  a  faint  darker 
streak  along  the  middle  of  the  wing.  Contiguous  to  this 
dot  on  its  outer  side  may  be  discerned  a  roundish  spot  of  a 
slightly  paler  yellow  color  than  the  ground,  and  a  very  short 
distance  forward  of  this  is  a  similar  spot,  but  smaller,  both 
these  spots  often  showing  a  more  tarnished  centre.  On  the 
hind  part  of  the  wing  the  veins  are  marked  by  slender,  whit- 
ish lines,  and  between  their  tips  on  the  hind  edge  of  the 
wing  is  a  row  of  minute  black  dots.  The  hind  wings  are 
smoky  brown,  with  a  purplish  gloss,  and  are  nearly  trans- 
parent, with  the  veins  blackish.  The  fringe  of  both  pairs 
of  wings  is  pale  yellowish,  with  a  dusky  band  on  the  middle. 
On  the  under  side,  the  wings  are  much  more  glossy  and 
paler,  opalescent  whitish  inwardly,  and  smoky  gray  toward 
their  outer  and  hind  sides,  where* they  are  also  freckled 
with  blackish  atoms.  The  smoky  color  on  the  hind  wings 
has  on  its  anterior  edge  a  row  of  short  blackish  lines,  one 
on  each  of  the  veins,  and  in  a  line  with  them  on  the  fore 
wings  is  a  faint  dusky  band,  becoming  more  distinct  toward 
its  outer  end,  or  sometimes  only  represented  by  a  dusky  dot 
on  the  outer  margin  forward  of  the  tips.  The  veins  are 
whitish,  and  also  the  hind  edge,  on  which  is  a  row  of  black 
dots  placed  between  the  tips  of  the  veins.  The  hind  wings 
have  also  a  blackish  crescent-shaped  spot  a  little  forward  of 
their  centre.  The  abdomen  or  hind  body  is  smoky  gray  above, 
and  on  its  under  side  ash-gray,  freckled  with  black  scales, 
and  usually  showing  a  row  of  black  dots  along  each  side."  * 
The  LARVA,  or  "  army-worm,"  varies  considerably  in 
color  and  size,  owing  to  age  and  locality,  but  its  charac- 
teristic markings  are  so  constant,  as  to  make  it  readily 
distinguished.  As  it  appeared  in  New  Hampshire  and 
Massachusetts,  it  varied  in  length  from  less  than  one 
inch  to  one  and  three  quarters,  was  of  a  dark  gray,  with 
three  narrow  yellowish  stripes  above,  and  a  broader  one  of 
the  same  color  or  slightly  darker  on  each  side,  thinly  clothed 
with  short  hairs,  which  were  longer  and  somewhat  thicker 
on  and  about  the  head,  the  latter  of  a  polished  honey-yellow, 
with  a  net-work  of  fine  dark  brown  lines,  and  a  black  line 
on  the  front  like  the  letter  V  reversed.  The  following 

O 

•  Dr.  Asa  Fitch,  iu  "  The  Country  Gentleman,"  Vol.  XVIII.  p.  66. 


THE    ARMY-WORM.  629 

descriptions,  with  methods  of  destruction,  most  of  which 
were  tried  with  good  success  in  the  Eastern  States,  are 
taken  from  an  "Essay"  in  the  Ohio  Agricultural  Report 
for  1860,  by  Mr.  J.  Kirkpatrick,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

"  The  caterpillar  of  the  army- worm  moth,  when  fully 
grown,  measures  from  one  and  three  fourths  to  two  inches  in 
length,  —  when  well  fed,  the  latter,  —  and  is  about  as  thick 
as  a  goose-quill  ;  color  a  lighter  or  darker  gray,  two  lateral 
stripes,  the  upper  with  a  yellowish  central  line,  the  lower 
a  reddish  one ;  legs,  sixteen,  six  true  or  pectoral,  eight  pro- 
legs  or  abdominal,  and  two  anal,  at  the  extremity  of  the 
body ;  the  head  brownish,  sometimes  marbled,  and  shining ; 
a  few  short  hairs  on  the  body  and  longer  straggling  ones  on 
the  head.  The  pupa  is  of  a  mahogany-brown  color,  nine 
lines  in  length,  and  tipped  at  the  end  with 
a  short  spine."  Fig.  ^ 

The  PUPA  (Fig.  276)  of  the  army-worm 
in  the  Eastern  States  is  of  the  same  color, 
but  varies  in  size,  being  usually  smaller, 
and  the  spine  is  double  or  cleft  at  the  apex. 

"  When  the  army- worms  are  numerous,  it  is  desirable  to 
arrest  their  ravages ;  the  most  common,  and  probably  the 
easiest,  method  of  doing  this  is  that  commonly  practised, — 
ploughing  a  double  furrow  around  the  field,  or  across  any  part 
of  a  field  that  they  are  marching  toward.  It  is  necessary 
to  have  the  steep  side  of  the  furrow  next  the  unharmed  crop, 
so  that  when  the  worm  attempts  to  climb  over,  it  may  fall 
back  into  the  furrow.  Running  the  plough  once  in  the  fur- 
row is  not  sufficient ;  twice  and  even  three  times  is  better, 
and  it  requires  to  be  renewed  if  washed  down  by  rains.  If 
the  soil  is  stiff  or  stony,  the  worms  will  climb  over  the  steep- 
est ridge ;  it  is  on  light,  friable  soil  only  that  the  ridge  will 
suffice  to  protect  the  field.  The  foothold  of  the  worm  must 
give  way,  thus  rolling  it  back  into  the  furrow.  And  even 
under  the  best  conditions  of  soil  it  is  best  to  have  two  fur- 
rows, one  about  the  width  of  a  row  of  corn  from  the  other. 
The  worms  thus  trapped  should  be  destroyed  either  by  fire 
or  hogs  ;  laying  dry  straw  in  the  furrows  and  then  setting 
fire  to  it  is  a  good  way,  for  by  this  means  the  soil  of  the 
furrow  is  made  more  friable,  and  of  course  efficient. 
Where,  however,  there  is  dry  grass  or  grain  near  by,  this 
is  a  dangerous  method,  as  the  fire  may  extend  to  the  field, 
and  do  more  harm  than  the  army- worm  could  if  let  alone. 


630  APPENDIX. 

Thousands  of  army-worms  may  be  easily  destroyed  in  a 
meadow,  by  running  a  heavy  iron  roller  over  it.  A  very 
small  pressure  is  sufficient  to  burst  their  skins,  and  the 
slightest  injury  of  this  kind  will  kill  them.  If  the  meadow 
or  field  is  level,  few  worms  can  escape  the  roller,  and  thus 
a  stop  will  be  put  to  them  at  once.  Of  course  this  cannot 
succeed  as  well  where  the  ground  is  rough  and  uneven, 
for  the  worms  always  take  shelter  in  the  hollows.  The 
best  time  to  roll  is  while  the  worms  are  feeding  and  up 
among  the  leaves,  for  then  they  are  sure  to  be  crushed ; 
at  other  times  they  are  sheltered,  and  a  great  number  will 

escape As  soon  as   the  crop  is  removed  from  an 

infested  field,  turn  in  all  the  hogs  you  can,  and  also  chick- 
ens and  turkeys ;  ducks  will  do  a  great  deal  of  good  by 
searching  for  and  eating  the  caterpillars.  All  these  animals 
will  eat  the  fallen  grain,  and  thus  save  it  in  making  flesh 
and  fowl.  Sheep  turned  into  the  field  will  kill  many  of 
the  worms  by  trampling  upon  them ;  especially  will  this 
be  the  case  it  the  flock  is  large.  If  crows  and  blackbirds 
are  visiting  the  fields,  do  not  let  them  be  disturbed  ;  there 
never  was  a  crow  or  blackbird,  that  would  not  prefer  a  fat 
caterpillar  to  a  grain  of  corn,  oats,  or  wheat." 

Kg.  277  Fig.  278. 


Figures  277  and  278  represent  two  species  of  ichneumon 
which  destroy  great  numbers  of  the  army-worm.  Several 
species  of  two-winged  flies  belonging  to  the  Tachinadce  are 
also  destructive  to  them.  (See  page  612  ;  also,  Plate  VIII. 
Fig.  1.) 


INDEX. 


ABDOMEN,  7,  9. 

Achemon  hawk-moth,  325,  326. 

Acheta  abbreviata,  A.  nigra,  A.  Pennsyl- 
vanica,  152.  A.  vittata,  153. 

Achetadse,  148. 

Acridium  hemipterum,  182.  A.  sulphu- 
reum,  177.  A.  tuberculatum,  176. 

Acronycta,  Acronyctians,  435,  436. 

Acrydium,  172,  173,  175.  A.  alutace- 
um,  A.  Americanum,  173.  A.  femo- 
rale,  175.  A.  femnr-rubrum,  169,  174. 
A.  flavo-vittatum,  173.  A.  laterale, 
187.  A.  marginaturn,  182.  A.  Mil- 
berti,  174.  A.  ornatum,  186.  A.  pe- 
regrinum,  168.  A.  viridi-fasciatum, 
182. 

Algerians,  319,  329. 

jEgeria  Cucurbit®,  331.  JE.  exitiosa, 
331,  333.  M.  pyri,  335.  M.  tipulifor- 
mis,  334. 

Aglossa  pinguinalis,  475. 

Agrilus,  116. 

Agrion  basalis,  12. 

Agriotes,  A.  obesns,  56. 

Agrotidians  (Agrotididae),  441. 

Agrotis  aequa,  A.  Agricola,  444.  A.  aqui- 
lina,  442, 445.  A.  devastator,  A.  iner- 
mis,  444.  A.  latens,  445.  A.  messoria, 
444.  A.  ocellina,  445.  A.  segerum,  442, 
444.  A.  suffusa,  443.  A.  telifera,  444. 
A.  tessellata,  445.  A.  tritici,  442. 

Ahaton  skipper,  317. 

Alaus,  54. 

Alder  sphinx.  328. 

Alope  butterfly,  305. 

Alucita,  510.     A.  cerealella,  499,  503. 

Alucitse,  340,  510. 

American  blight,  242. 

American  copper-butterfly,  273,  274. 

Amisomorpha  buprestoides,  146. 

Anacampsis,  A.  cerealella,  499.  A.  sar- 
citella,  493. 

Ancylonycha,  30. 

Angoumois  grain-moth,  493,  499. 

Anisopteryx,  460.  A.  jEscularia,  461. 
A.  pometaria,  462.  A.  vernata,  461. 

Auomala  atrata,  35.  A.  ccelebs,  A.  lu- 
cicola,  A.  varians,  34.  A.  vitis,  29. 

Antennae,  7,  8. 


Anthomya  canicularis,  616.     A.  Cepa- 

rum,    A.  radicum,   A.  Raphani,  617. 

A.  scalaris,  616. 

Anthomyians  (Anthomyiadse),  615. 
Antiopa "butterfly,  296. 
Ants,  237,  240,  513,  515. 
Apate  basillaris,  92. 
Apatela  Aceris,  A.  Americana,  436. 
Aphaniptera,  19. 
Aphidians  (Aphididae),  203,  230. 
Aphis,  235.     A.  Brassicae,   A.   Caryae, 

238.     A.  lanigera,  242.     A.  mali,  235. 

A.  Persicse,  241.      A.  radicum,  239. 

A.  radicis,  240.      A.  Rosas,  238.     A. 

Salicis,  A.  Salicicola,  A.  Salicti,  239. 
Aphrophora,  225. 
Apiou  rostnim,  A.  Sayi,  67. 
Apple-tree  borer,  108;   bud-moths,  480, 

481 ;  sphinx,  327,  328. 
Apple-trees,  injured  by  American  blight, 

242 ;  bark-lice,  252, 254 ;  canker-worms, 

463,  472  ;   caterpillars,  268,  357,  366, 

370,  375,  377, 379, 388, 425, 429.    Other 

insects  attacking,  54,  120. 
Apple-worm,  484. 
Apples,  attacked  by  plum-weevils,  76, 

77. 

Apples  of  Sodom,  547. 
Apricot  bud-moth,  482. 
Aptera,  19. 

Archippus  butterfly,  280. 
Arctia  Acrea,  351,' 354.     A.  Americana, 

347, 348.     A.  Arge,  346.     A.  Caja,  348. 

A.  Capratina,  354.    A.  fuliginosa,  357. 

A.  Isabella,  356.      A.  luctifera,  360. 

A.  phalerata,   A.  Phvllira,  347.      A. 

punctatissima,  358.    A.  rubricosa,  356. 

A.  textor,  358.    A.  Urticae,  350.    A. 

Virginica,  350.     A.  virgo,  345. 
Arctians  (Arctiadae),  343. 
Areoda  lanigera,  24. 
Argynnis,  284.     A.  Aphrodite,  285.     A. 

Bellona,  287.    A.  Idalia,  285.     A.  My- 

rina,  286. 

Army-worms,  457,  627. 
Arrhenodes,  68. 
Arthemis  butterfly,  283. 
Ash-tree  borers,  3*30. 
Asilians  (Asilidse),  605. 


688 


INDEX. 


Asilus,  606, 606.    A.  sestuans,  17.    A.  se- 

riceus,  606. 

A-t;i<i:i  torrefacta,  437. 
A<ter  pill-flics,  620. 
A>teria*  butterfly,  265. 
Attaci,  340. 
Attacus  Atlas,  338,  390.      A.  Cecropia, 

886.  887,  389.      A.   Luna,  382  -  384. 

A.  Polyphemus,  884,  386.    A.  Prome- 
theus, 390,  391. 

Attelabians  (Attelabidse),  66. 
Attelahus  analis, 66.    A. bipustulatus,  66. 
Azalea  sphinx,  328. 

Babia  quadriguttata,  136. 

Bacteria  nruinatia,  146.    B.  phylliua,  B. 

nibispinosn,  146. 

Bacunculus  femoratus,  B.  Sayi,  146. 
Balaninus,  74. 
Baridius  trinotatus,  81. 
Bark-beetles,  86. 

Bark-lice,  194,  204,  248,  250,  252,  256. 
Barley  injured  by  insects,  651,  621. 
Basket  worms,  415. 
Bathvllus  skipper,  312. 
Batia  flavifrontella,  494. 
Bat-ticks,  626. 
BcaHi-irrass,  use  of,  57. 
Beans  attacked  by  insects,  138,  229. 
Bear-caterpillars,  343,  349. 
Bee-flies,  603. 
Bee-moths,  489. 
I'..-,  512,  614. 

Beeswax  devoured  by  worms,  491. 
Beetles,  10,  23,  28,  29. 
Bcllona  butterfly,  287. 
Kinl-flies,  624. 
Bittacomorpha,  600. 
Bittacus,  600. 

Blackberry-bush  borer,  114. 
Black  fly,  601. 
Black  weevil,  83. 
Blatta  oriental!*,  145. 
Blrnnocampa,  628. 
I'.liirlit  beetle,  90. 
Blight  of  pear-trees,  88. 
Bli.-trring  beetles,  136. 
Boisiluval's  butterfly,  805. 
Bomboptera,  636. 
Pnniibyces,  340. 

Boinbylian*  (Bombylindae),  603. 
Bombrlltu  leqnalfe,  B.  major,  B.  albi- 

pcctu«,  B   fratellus,  B.  vicinus,  604. 
Bombyx,  340.    B.  cossus,  412.    B.  grata, 

427.     B.  mori,  880. 
Bordered  skipper,  308. 
Borers.  46,  92,  331,  410. 
Bmtrichiaiia  (Bostrichidaj),  91. 
Bot-bees,  Bot-flies,  622. 

•••24. 

Brenthinns  (Brenthidse),  67. 
BrciithiH  maxillosus,    B.  septemtrionis, 

B.  septemtrionalis,  68. 
r.ri/u  -kipper,  309. 
Bruchians  (Bruchidae),  62. 


Bruchus  pisi,  61,  62. 
Bud-moths,  480,  482. 
Bug,  chinch,  198;  plant,  200;  squash, 

194. 

Bups,  193,  194. 
Bulla,  185. 

Buprestians  (Buprestidse),  45,  116. 
Buprestis  characteristica,  B.  dentipes,  49. 

B.  divaricata,  48.    B.  Drummondi,   B. 
femorata,  B.  fulvoguttata,  50.     B.  lu- 
rida,  B.  obscura,  49.     B.  Virginica,  48. 

Butalis,  499,  507.     B.  cerealella,  506,  509. 

Butterflies,  262,  263  ;  four-footed,  279, 
282. 

Button-wood  trees  attacked  by  caterpil- 
lars, 363,  404 ;  by  wood-wasps,  537. 

Cabbage  butterfly,  270.     C.  caterpillar, 

270,  451.     C.  cutworm,  443,  445,  449. 

0.  plant-louse,  238. 
Calandrn,  69,  82.     C.  granaria,  83.     C. 

Oryzffi,  ib. 
Callidium,  99.    C.  antennatum,  C.  baju- 

lus,  C.  violaceum,  100. 
Callimorpha  Carolina,  344.    C.  Lecontei, 

345.     C.  militaris,  344. 
Calliphora  vomitoria,  614. 
Caloptenus,  174. 
Calosoma  scrutator,  470. 
Camel-crickets,  146. 
Canephorae,  414. 
Canker-worm,  461,  470. 
Cantharides  (Cautharididse),  135. 
Cantharis  atrata,  139.     C.  cinerea,  138. 

C.  marginata,  137.  C.  vittata,  136, 139. 
Capricorn  beetles,  92,  94,  96,  116. 
Capsns  oblineatus.  200. 

Caradrina  cubicularis,  453. 

Carolina  sphinx,  322. 

Carpenter  moths,  412. 

Carpet-moth,  493. 

Carpocapsa  Pomonella,  484. 

Carrot-caterpillars,  263. 

Cassida  aurichalcea,  122. 

Cassidadae,  121. 

Catalogue,  reference  to,  32. 

Caterpillars  are  the  young  of  butterflies 

and  moths,  257.    C.  described,  268.    C. 

false,  516.     C.  food  of,  258.     C.  habits 

of,  269.     C.  injurious  to  gardens,  349. 

C.  numbers  o£  267.    C.  spiny,  284.    C. 

transformations  of,  5,  260.  '  C.  wheat, 

462,  465. 
Cecidomyia,  564,  568,  570,  583.     C.  cul- 

niicola,  682.     C.  destructor,  566,  668, 

683.    C.  Robiniae,567.    C.  Salicis,  566, 

667.     C.  Tritici,  453,  666,  687,  592. 
Cecidomyiadae,  665. 
Cedar  (red),  insects  attacking,  87. 
Celtis«phinx,328. 
Cephwemyia  ovis,  624. 
Cephus,  516.     C.  Pygmoaus,  517. 
Cerambycidae,  92,  94,  96. 
Cerambyx,  94.     C.  cinctus,  97.    C.  pal- 

liatus,  116.     C.  violaceus,  100. 


INDEX. 


633 


Ceraphron  destructor,  586. 

Cerasphorus,  97. 

Ceratocampa  regalis,  399. 

Ceratocampians  (Ceratocampadae),  398. 

Ceratomia  quadricornis,  323. 

Cercopididae,  224. 

Cercopis  ignipecta,  C.  obtnsa,  C.  paral- 
lela,  0.  quadrangularis,  225. 

Ceresa,  221. 

Cernes  skipper,  316. 

Cerura,  C.  borealis,  C.  furcula,  423. 

Cetonia  barbate,  40.  C.  eremicola,  43. 
C.  Inda,  40. 

Cetonians  (Cetoniadse),  39. 

Chalcidians  (Chalcididae),  550,  556. 

Chafers,  26. 

Chalcophora,  48. 

Charaeas  graminis,  442. 

Cheese-maggots,  621. 

Cheimatobia  brumata,  461. 

Chelonia,  345. 

Cherry-tree  slug,  529.  C.  sphinx,  328. 
C.  (wild),  its  borer,  48.  C.  caterpil- 
lars, 370,  421,  425. 

Chinch-bug,  198. 

Chionea  aspera,  C.  valga,  601. 

Chlamys  gibbosa,  135. 

Chloea'ltis,  184. 

Chlorops  glabra,  C.  pumilionis,  621. 

Chcerocampa,  326.  C.  Choerilus,  328. 
C.  Pampinatrix,  327.  C.  versicolor, 
328. 

Chrysalids,  6. 

Chrysobothris,  49,  50,  51. 

Chrysomela,  123.  C.  caernleipennis, 
C.  Polygon!,  133.  C.  scalaris,  C.  tri- 
maculata,  132.  C.  vitivora,  130. 

Chrysomelians  (Chrysomeladae),  123,131. 

Chrysopa  euryptera,  C.  perla,  247. 

Chrysops  ferrugatus,  C.  niger,  C.  vitta- 
tus,  603. 

Cicada,  141,  204.  C.  auletes,  219.  C. 
canicularis,  217.  C.  hieroglyphica, 
219.  C.  pruinosa,  218.  C.  Rosae, 
229.  C.  septendecim,  206,  211.  C. 
seventeen-year,  204,  206.  C.  tibicen, 
219.  Cicadians  (Cicadadae),  203,  204. 

Cimbex  Americana,  C.  Laportei,  C.  Ul- 
mi,  518,  519. 

Ciuara,  238. 

Clastoptera  proteus,  225. 

Clear-winged  sphinx,  328,  329. 

Clematis  attacked  by  insects,  137. 

Climbing  crickets,  154. 

Clisiocampa  Americana,  373.  C.  cas- 
trensis,  372,  373,  376.  C.  Neustria, 
371,  373,  376.  C.  silvatica,  375. 

Clostera  Americana,  431,  433.  C.  anas- 
tomosis, C.  inclusa,  433. 

Clothes-moths,  494,  495. 

Clover-worms,  456. 

Clymene  moth,  344. 

Clypeus,  24. 

Clythra  domiuicana,  C.  quadriguttata, 
135. 

80 


Clytus  flexuosns,  103.     C.  Hayii,  102. 

C;  pictus,  103,  411.     C.  speciosus,  101. 
Coccidae,  204,  248. 
Coccinella,  C.  novemnotata,  246. 
Coccus,  248.     C.   Adonidum,  250.     C. 

arborum  linearis,  252.     C.  Cacti,  250. 

C.  conchiformis,  252.    C.  cryptogamus, 

254.     C.  Hesperidum,  250.* 
Cochenille,  249,  250. 
Cock-chafer,  27. 
Cockroaches,  143,  145. 
Codling-moth,  484. 
Ccenia  butterfly,  293. 
Coenomyia  pallida,  607. 
Coleoptera,  10,  23. 
Colias  Philodice,  272. 
Colona  moth,  344. 

Columbine  roots  destroyed  by  caterpil- 
lars, 440. 

Comma  butterfly,  300. 
Conocephalus  dissimilis,  164.      C.   en- 

siger,  163.     C.  uncinatus,  165. 
Conopians  (Conopidae),  611. 
Conops  nigricornis,  C.  sagittaria,  611. 
Conotrachelus   Nenuphar,   75,   484.     C. 

variegatus,  75. 
Coreus  lineolaris,  200,  201.     C.  linearis, 

200.     C.  moestus,  194.     C.  ordinatus, 

195.     C.  rugator,  C.  tristis,  194. 
Corn  attacked  by  spindle-worms,  438, 

439.      C.    destroyed    by   caterpillars, 

347,  349.     C.  destroyed  by  cutworms, 

441,  443.     C.  moths,  506.     C.  weevil, 

83,  84.     C.  worms,  497,  505. 
Coscinoptera,  135. 
Cossus    ligniperda,   412.      C.    Robiniae, 

412,  413. 
Cotalpa,  24. 
Cotton-worms,  457. 
Crambidae,  488,  489. 
Cranberry-worms,  487. 
Grantor  hawk-moth,  325. 
Creeper  attacked  by  insects,  223,  325, 

337. 

Crickets,  148,  154. 
Criocerians  (Criocerididae),  118. 
Crioceris  asparagi,  118.     C.  bipustulata, 

C.  striolata,  129.      C.  trilineata,  118. 

C.  vittata,  124. 
Cryptocephalians       ( Cryptocephalidae ), 

134.     Cryptocephalus  luridus,  135. 
Cuckoo-spit,  220,  225. 
Cucuio,  55. 
Cucumber-beetle,  124, 127.    Cucumbers, 

insects  attacking,  124,  125,  127. 
Curculio,  69,  75.     C.  granarius,  83.     C. 

hilaris,    70.     C.    Nenuphar,    75.     C. 

Oryzae,  83.     C.  pales,  70. 
Curculionidae,  69. 
Currant-bush  borers,  334,  335. 
Cut-worms,  441. 
Cynipidae,  644. 
Cynips,  544.     C.  bicolor,  549.     C.  con- 

fluens,  546.     C.  dichlocerus,  549.     C. 

gallae  tinctoriae,  546.     C.  nubilipennis, 


634 


INDEX. 


C.  oneratus,  C.  seminator,  648.    C. 

scniipiceus.  549. 
Cynthia  Atalauta,  294.     C.  Cardui,  291. 

"C.  Huntera,   292,  293.     C.    Lavinia, 

293. 
Cyrtophillus,  158. 

Dahlia  attacked  by  spindle-worms,  439. 

Danais  Archippus,  280. 

Deilephila  Chamcenerii,  D.  lineata,  328. 

Delopeiu  holla,  342.     D.  pulchella,  343. 

Delta-moths,  474,  475. 

Dermaptera,  20. 

Desmocerus  palliatas,  115. 

Diupheroraera,  146. 

Dicerca,  48,  49. 

Dicranura,  423. 

Dictyotoptera,  20. 

Diplolepis,  544,  646,  548. 

Diptera,  16,  662. 

Disippe  butterfly,  281. 

Dituln  angustiorana,  483. 

Dog's-bane  beetle,  134. 

Dominula  moth,  344. 

Donna  moth,  844. 

Dor-bug,  80,  81. 

Dors,  26,  28, 

Drop-worms,  416. 

Dryocampa  bicolor,  408.  D.  imperialis, 
4*02,  403.  D.  pellucida,  407.  D.  rubi- 
cunda,  408.  D.  sanatoria,  406.  D. 
stigma,  407. 

Dung-flies,  619. 

Earwigs,  143,  144. 

Elaphidion,  98. 

Elater  appressifrons,  E.  brevicornis,  66. 

E.   cincreus,    E.    communis,  55.      E. 

mancus,  56.     E.   noctilucus,  66.     E. 

obesus,  66.    E.  oculatus,  64. 
Elateridffl,  61. 
Elder,  its  borer,  116. 
Elm  caterpillars,  297,  299,  302,  367.    E. 

other  insects  attacking,  112,  124,  133, 

466.    E.  false  caterpillars  on  it,  619.   E. 

sphinx-caterpillars,  323,  324.    E.  bored 

by  wood-wasps,  687.     E.  injured  by 

canker-worms,  465,  472. 
Empoa,  229. 
Encvrtus,  632. 
Enrflia,  220. 
Erebus  Strix,  338. 
Kri-.-omn,  242,  246. 
Erutalis  sincerus,  E.  aenens,  609. 
Ermine  moths,  846,  350,  364. 
Krythroneura,  229. 
Kuchtctes  Egle,  859,  360. 
Enchenopa,  221. 
Eudamus,  310.     E.  Bathyllus,  812.    E. 

Titrni!.,  310,411. 
Ku.lrvus  grata,  427.     E.  unio,  428. 
Eumenes,  611.    E.  fruterna,  470,  471. 
Kumolpus  auratus,  184. 
Euplexoptera,  20. 
Euprepia,  846. 


Euryomia,  40. 

Eurvtoma,   651,  559,  686.    E.  fulvipes, 

66*1.      E.  Hordei,  553,  554,   561.     E. 

Secalis,  E.  Tritici,  561. 
Eurytris  butterfly,  306. 
Eyes  of  insects,  7,  258. 

False  caterpillars,  516. 

Feather-winged  moths,  610. 

Fir  saw-fly,  620. 

Fir-trees  attacked  by  moths,  483.  F. 
destroyed  by  wood-wasps,  634. 

Fire-beetle,  65. 

Flea-beetles,  126. 

Flea  tribe,  19,  625. 

Flesh-fly,  613. 

Flies,  662.  F.  flower,  616.  F.  golden- 
eyed,  603.  F.  how  excluded  from 
houses,  615.  F.  parasitic,  612. 

Flower-beetles,  24,  39. 

Flower-flies,  616. 

Fly,  dung,  618.  F.  flesh,  613.  F.  gold- 
en-eyed lace-winged,  247.  F.  ham- 
mer-headed, 621.  F.  Hessian,  665, 
668.  F.  house,  F.  meat,  614.  F. 
radish,  F.  onion,  617.  F.  stable,  613, 
614.  F.  viviparous,  613.  F.  wheat, 
665,  587. 

Fly-weevil  that  destroys  wheat,  502. 

FoVest-flies,  603. 

Forficula,  144. 

Forficuladae,  19. 

Frit-fly,  621. 

Frog-h'oppers,  220,  224. 

Fruit,  weevils  in,  75,  77,  484.    F.  flies, 

F.  maggots.  620.     F.  moth,  484.     F. 
trees  injured  by  beetles,  29,  33,  36,  41 ; 
by   canker-worms,  463;    by  cicudas, 
212. 

Fur-moths,  493. 

Gad-flies,  602. 

Galeruca    Calmariensis,  124,  133,  465. 

G.  vittata,  124. 

Galerucians  (Galerucadae),  123. 
Galleria  cereana,  489. 

Gall-flies,    four-winged,    543,  660.      G. 

two-winged,  620. 
Gall-gnats,  666. 
Galls,  643,  546,  567,  620. 
Gasterophilus  equi,  G.  haemorrhoidalis, 

G.  veterinus,  623. 
Gastropacha    Americana,   G.    Ilicifolin, 

G.  occidentalis,  877.     G.  Velleda,  378, 

879. 

Geometers  (Geometrae),  340,  468. 
Geometra  catenaria,  459,  460. 
Glaucopidians  (Glaucopididoe),  319,  336, 

341. 

Glaucopis  Pholus,  341. 
Gnat,  snow,  001.     G.  wheat,  687,  592. 

G.  wingless,  601. 

Gnats,  662,   663,  664,   565.      G.    long- 
legged,  600.     G.  gall,  566. 
Gnophria  rubricollis,  G.  vittata,  342. 


INDEX. 


635 


Goat-moths,  413. 

Goldsmith-beetle,  24,  25. 

Golden-rod,  insects  on,  103,  139. 

Goliah-beetle,  40. 

Goniloba,  310. 

Gonocerus,  196. 

Gortyna  flavago,  G.   leucostigma,  440. 

G.  Zeaa,  439. 
Grain-moth,  493,  496. 
Grain-weevil,  83. 
Grain-worms,  453. 
Grape-vine  caterpillars,  325,   326,  426. 

G.  leaf-hopper,  227.     G.  Procris,  336. 

G.  sphinx,  325,  326.     G.  injured  bv 

bark-lice,  256.     G.  by  false  caterpil- 
lars, 523.     G.  by  other  insects,  25,  29, 

34,  36,  129. 
Grapta,  298. 
Graspers,  143,  146. 
Grasshopper,  its  growth  and  changes,  5. 

G.    See  Locust. 
Grasshoppers,  148,  155.     G.  are  locusts, 

141. 

Gray-worm,  453. 
Grease-moth,  475. 
Ground-beetles,  24,  470. 
Grouse-locust,  185. 
Grubs,  9,  23. 
Gryllidae,  148,  155. 
Gryllotalpa  brevipennis,  G.  borealis,  149. 

G.  didactyla,  149,  150. 
Gryllus,  148.     G.  chrysomelas,  182.     G. 

equalis,  178.     G.  erythropus,  175.     G. 

maculatus,  155.     G.  migratorius,  168. 

175.     G.  sulphureus,  177.     G.  Virgin- 

ianus,  182. 
Gymnodus  scaber,  41. 

Hackberry  sphinx,  328. 

Hag-moth,  421,  422. 

Hair-moth,  493. 

Halesidota,  362. 

Haltica  bipustulata,  H.   chalybea,  129. 

H.  Cucumeris,  H.  fuscula,  H.  pubes- 

cens,  127.     H.  striolata,  129. 
Halticadae,  126. 
Hare  bot-fly,  624. 
Harlequin  caterpillars,  359. 
Harnessed  moth,  347. 
Harpv-flv,  614. 
Harvest-flies,   141,  194,  203,    204.      H. 

dog-day,  217.     H.  frosted,  218.     H. 

leaping,  219. 
Hawk-moths,  262,  318. 
Hazel-nut  weevil,  74. 
Hedge-hog  caterpillar,  355. 
Hegemon  Goliatus,  40. 
Hemiptera,  11,    192.      H.    heteroptera, 

193,  194.     H.  homoptera,  194,  203. 
Hemiprycha,  221. 
Hepialidae,  408. 
Hepiolus  argenteomaculatus,   410.      H. 

Humuli,  409. 
Hera  moth,  344. 
Herminians  (Herminiadae),  476. 


Hesperians  (Hesperiadaa),  307.  H.  Aha- 
ton,  317.  H.  Cernes,  316.  H.  Hobo- 
mok,  313,  314.  H.  Leonardus,  314. 
H.  Metacomet,  317.  H.  Peckius,  H. 
Sassacus,  315.  H.  Wamsutta,  318. 

Heteropterus  marginatus,  308. 

Heterocera,  262. 

Hickory  borers,  46,  49,  97.  H.  caterpil- 
lars, 361,  362,  399.  H.  plant-louse,  238. 

Hipparchians,  303.  H.  Alope,  H.  Bois- 
duvallii,  305.  H.  Eurytris,  H.  Ne- 
phele,  306.  H.  semidea,"  304. 

Hippobosca  equina,  624. 

Hippoboscidae,  20. 

Hispadae,  Hispa  marginata,  H.  quadrata, 
H.  rosea,  120.  H.  suturalis,  121. 

Hobomok  skipper,  313,  314. 

Hog-caterpillar,  326,  327,  328. 

Homalomyia  scalaris,  616. 

Homaloptera,  20. 

Homoptera,  20,  194,  203. 

Honey-dew,  237. 

Hop-vine  caterpillars,  276,  299,  301,  476. 
H.  Hepiolus,  409. 

Horn-bugs,  43. 

Horn-tailed  wood-wasps,  14,  533. 

Horse-bot,  623. 

Horse-chestnut  caterpillars,  367. 

Horse-flies,  602. 

House-fly,  614.    H.  crickets,  150. 

Humming-bird  moths,  319,  329. 

Hybernians  (Hyberniadas),  460.  H.  de- 
Yoliaria,  H.  Tiliaria,  473. 

Hydrocampa,  476. 

Hylecoetus  Americanus,  59. 

Hylobius,  H.  picivorus,  71. 

Hylurgus  dentatus,  87.  H.  terebrans, 
86. 

Hymenoptera,  14,  512. 

Hypena  Humuli,  H.  rostralis,  477. 

Hyphantria,  358. 

Hypogymna  dispar,  366. 

lassus  Rosse,  229. 
Ichneumones  minuti,  550. 
Ichneumon-flies,  73,  372,  532,  538,  550. 

586,  630. 

Idalia  butterfly,  285. 
Insects,  structure  of,  3.      I.   produced 

from  eggs,  4.    I.  transformations,  5. 

Jacobaeae  moth,  344. 
Joint-worm,  551,  654. 
Jumpers,  144,  148. 
Juvenal's  skipper,  309. 

Kalmia  sphinx,  328. 
Katy-did,  158. 
Kermes,  249. 
Knot-grass  beetle,  133. 

Lachnosterna,  30. 
Lachnus,  238. 
Lackey  caterpillars,  371. 
Lady-birds,  246,  247. 


636 


INDEX. 


Lamia  titillator,  105. 


l^aiiiin   kiiuiniwij    AW* 

Laphria,  606.    L.  flavibarbis,  L.  tergissa, 


L.  thoracica,  604. 
Lappet  caterpillars,  377 
Larva,  6. 
Lasiocampa  Dnmeti,  369 


L.  proces- 


sionea,  394.     L.  Quercus,  L.  Roboris, 

L.  Rubi,  L.  Trifolii,  369. 
Lasiocampians  (Lasiocampadse),  869. 
Lasioptera,  570. 
Laurel  sphinx,  328. 
Laverna,  499. 
Lavinia  butterfly,  293. 
Leaf-beetles,  117.    L.  hoppers,  220,  225. 

L.  rollers.  478. 
Leconte,  Dr.  John  L.,  notes  by,  19,  24, 

80,  88,  40,  50,  66,  88,  96,  98,  100,  118, 

186,  186,  138. 
Letna,  118. 

Leonard's  skipper,  314. 
Lepidoptera,  12,  267,  261. 
Leptura,  94.    L.  picta,    L.  Robinise,  103. 
Leprorians  (Lepturadse),  94,  114. 
Leucania  extranea,  L.  impuncta,  L.  uni- 

puncta.  627. 
Lilac  sphinx,  328. 
Limacodes,  419.    L.  cippus,  L.  Delphinii, 


Lozotsenia  oporana,  480. 

Lucanians  (Lucanidse),  43.    L.  Capreo- 

lus,  L.  Duma,  44. 
Lncilia  Csesar,  614. 
Ludius,  66. 
Lycsena  Americana,  273.    L.  Epixanthe, 

"274.     L.  Phlseas,  273. 
Lycenians  (Lycaenadse),  273. 
Lyda,  516. 

Lygseus  leucopterus,  198. 
Lymexylidse,  68. 

Lymexylon  navale,  57.    L.  sericeum,  68. 
Lytta,  136.     L.  atrata,  139.     L.  cineren, 

138.     L.  Fabricii,  138.     L.  marginata, 

138.     L.  vittata,  136. 

Macrodactylus  subspinosus,  35. 

Maggot,  its  transformations,  6. 

Maggots,  612.  M.  in  cattle,  624.  M.  in 
cheese,  621.  M.  in  fruit,  620.  M.  in 
the  human  body,  616.  M.  in  meat, 
613,  614.  M.  in  radishes,  turnips,  and 
onions,  616,  617,  618.  M.  in  roots,  605, 
617.  M.  rat-tailed,  609.  M.  wheat, 
674,  575,  581,  592,  594-699. 

Mamestra  picta,  451,  452. 

Mantes,  143,  146. 


420.  L.  pithecinm,  421.  L.  scapha.420.    Maple  caterpillars,  436. 
Lime  or  linden  tree  insects,  110,  133,    Maple  (sugar),  its  borer,  101. 


,  436,  473. 

Limenitis,  282. 

Linnaeus,  anecdote  respecting,  67. 

I.i|.:iri:ms  (Liparidffi),  365. 

Lipuris,  366. 

Lithosia  miniata,  342.     L.  quadra,  343. 

Lithosians  (Lithosiadie),  341. 

Locust.  167.  L.  grouse,  185.  L.  Cica- 
da, 204. 

Locust?,  141,  144,  165,  167,  175. 

Locust-tree  butterfly,  811.  L.  boring 
caterpillars,  410."  L.  other  insects 


Marshes,  salt,  insects  injuring,  168,  175, 

351. 

May-beetles,  26,  30,  441. 
:  May-flies,  12,  476. 
Meadows    injured    by  insects,  28,    31, 

56. 

Meal-moth,  475. 
Mealy  bug,  250. 
Melanophila,  50. 
Melanotus,  55. 
Melitsea,  287.    M.  Phaeton,  M.  Ismeria, 


288.     M.  Pharos,  289. 


ML 


upon  it,  62,  103,  138,  221.     L.  (honey)  i  Mellophagns  ovis,  626. 
attacked  by  insects,  138.  Meloe  angusticollis,  139,  140. 

Locusta,  165, 168   172,  175.     L.  abortiva,    Melolontha,  26,  33.     M.  subspinosa 
184.     L.  aequalis,  178.    L.  agilis,  162.  I      M.  variolosa,  33. 
L.  Carolina,  176.     L.  chrysomelas,  182.    Melolonthians  (Melolonthada?),  26. 
L.  conspersa,  184.     L    corallina,  176.    Membracidae,  220. 

L.   curtipennis,   184.     L.  curvicauda,    Membracis  acuminata,  221.     M.  Ampe- 
168,  161.    L.  eucerata,  180.    L.  fasci- 
ata,  163.     L.  fenestralis,  180.     L.  in- 
funcata,  181.     L.  latipennis,  179.     L. 
laurifolia,    169.      L.    leucostoma,    L. 


maritima,  178.  L.  marmorata,  179. 
L.  mipratoria,  168,  175.  L.  nebulosa, 
181.  L  oblonpifolia,  159.  L.  perspi- 
cillata,  168.  L.  radiata,  183.  L. 


lopsidis,  220,223.  M.  bimacuhita,  221. 
M.  binotata,  #>.,  224.  M.  bubalus, 
221.  M.  camelus,  220.  M.  Cissi,  223. 
M.  concava,  220.  M.  diceros,  221.  M. 
emarginata,  220.  M.  latipes,  221.  M. 
sinuata,  220.  M.taurina,  221.  M.  uni- 
vittata,  ib.,  223.  M.  vau,  220. 
Metacomet  skipper,  317. 


Milphurea,    177.      L.    viridi-fasciata,    Metamorphoses,  4. 

I8°-  Mi. las  lilatiK,  M.  clavatus,  606. 

I  .;;-.:•',. 


,468. 


Midges,  665,  602. 

Milesia  excentrica,  609.    M.  vespiformis, 


spa  Can-as,  862.     L.  maculata, 

.    L.  te**elii"ris  343,  364.  Milk-weed  beetle,  132.    M.  caterpillars, 

Lophyrus  Ab»x>tii,  L.  Abietis,  L.  Amer-  I     859. 
icanuu,  L.  compar,  620.  i  Millers,  338.  350. 

•••  BoMcseana,  481.  |  Misippus  butterfly,  281. 


INDEX. 


637 


Mole-cricket,  149,  150. 

Monohammus,  105. 

Morris,  Rev.  J.  G.,  notes  by,  257,  258, 

261,  262,  265,  270,  276,  296,  298,  300, 

310,  320,  325,  327,  328,  331,  342,  350, 

358,  359,  362,  377,  433,436,  465. 
Mosquito,  its  transformations,  5. 
Mosquitos,  563. 
Moth,  origin  of  the  word,  488. 
Moths,  262,  338.      M.   in  houses,  how 

destroyed,  496.    M.  worms,  488,  489, 

495. 

Mountain-butterfly,  304. 
Muck-worm,  31. 
Musca    Caesar,   M.  domestica,  M.  Har- 

pyia,  M.  vomitoria,  614. 
Muscans  (Muscadas),  612. 
Mustard-butterfly,  M.  caterpillar,  270. 
Mutilla  coccinea,  15. 
Mycetophilae,  564. 
Mydas  filata,  606. 
Myrina  butterfly,  286. 
Myopa  nigripennis,   610,   611.      Myrtle 

bark-louse,  250. 

Nemeophila  plantaginis,  345. 

Nemobius,  153. 

Nepa,  625.    N.  apiculata,  12. 

Nettle-butterfly,  294,  303. 

Neuroptera,  12,  20. 

Neuter  insects,  513. 

Noctua  clandestina,  448.    N.  devastator, 

445.    N.  xylina,  457. 
Noctuas,  340,'  434. 
Nonagrians  (Nonagriadae),  437. 
Norton,  Mr.  Edward,  notes  by,  540,  561. 
Notodonta  concinna,  425,  426.     N.  uni- 

cornis,  424. 

Notodontians  (Notodontadae),  418. 
Nut-galls,  545.    Nut-weevils,  74. 
Nycteribia,  625. 
Nymphalis  Arthemis,  283.    N.  disippus, 

281.     N.  Ephestion,  283. 

Oak-apples,  546. 

Oak-caterpillars,  283,  375,  384,  397,  405, 

412. 

Oak  gall-flies,  546,  548. 
Oak-pruner,  98. 
Oaks,  other  insects  attacking,  49, 68,  211, 

223. 

Oberea,  114. 
Ocelli,  7. 

(Ecanthus  niveus,  154. 
(Eceticus,  414. 
(Ecophora  granella,  499. 
(Edipoda,  175-181.     <E.  discoidea,  176. 

(E.  fenestralis,  177,  180. 
(Estrians  ((Estridse),  622. 
(Estrus  bovis,  (E.  bnccatus,  624. 
Oiketicus,  414,  415. 
Oil-beetles,  140. 
Omaloplia  sericea,  34.      0.  vespertina, 

33. 
Onion-fly,  617. 


Onions  destroyed  by  maggots,  617. 

Opsomala,  172. 

Orchelimum  gracile,  163.     0.  vulgare, 

162. 
Orgvia  antiqua.   368.     0.  leucostigma. 

367. 

Ornithomyia,  624. 
Ortalidians  (Ortalididae),  620. 
Orthoptera,   11,   141.      0.  ambulatoria, 

144,  146.     0.  cursoria,  143,  144.     0. 

raptoria,  143, 146.      0.  saltatoria.  144, 

148. 

Orthosoma,  96. 
Oryssus,  541.     0.  affinis,  543.      0.  hse- 

morrhoidalis,    0.    maurus,    542.       0. 

Sayii,  543.     0.  terminalis,  542. 
Oscinians  (Oscinidae),  621,  622. 
Oscinis  frit,  0.  lineata,  621. 
Osmodenna  eremicola,  43.     0.  scaber, 

41. 
Osten  Sacken,  Baron  R.,  notes  by,  601, 

603,  604,  606,  609,  610. 
Ourapteryx  Sambucaria,  459. 
Owl-moth,  great,  338. 
Owlet-moths,  434. 
Ox  bot-fly,  624. 
Oxya,  174. 

Pack-moth,  493. 

Palpi,  8. 

Pamphila,  312. 

Pandeleteius,  70. 

Papiliones,  262. 

Papilio  Ajax,  P.  Asterias,  P.  polyxe- 
nes,  265.  P.  Troilus,  266.  P.  Turnus, 
268. 

Parsley-caterpillars,  263. 

Parthenice  moth,  345. 

Pea-weevil,  61,  62. 

Peach-tree  borers,  48, 331.  P.  plant-lice, 
234,  240.  P.  Thrips,  234. 

Pear-tree  borer,  335.  P.  slug,  528.  P. 
bored  by  wood-wasps,  535.  P.  injured 
by  bark  -lice,  254.  P.,  other  insects  at- 
tacking, 25,  88,  214,  231,  233. 

Pears,  worms  in,  487. 

Peas,  insects  attacking,  61. 

Peck's  skipper,  315. 

Pectinated  antennae,  336,  338. 

Pelidnota  punctata,  25. 

Penthina  comitana,  P.  luscana,  P.  ocu- 
lana,  482. 

Perophora  Melsheimerii,  415,  416. 

Petrophila,  476. 

Phalsena  Aceris,  436.  P.  anastomosis, 
434.  P.  brumata,  P.  vernata,  461. 

Phalaenae,  262,  338. 

Phalangopsis  lapidicola,  P.  maculata, 
155. 

Phaneroptera  angustifolia,  P.  curvicau- 
da,  P.  myrtifolia,  P.  septentrionalis, 
161. 

Phasma,  146. 

Philampelus  Achemon,  P.  satellitia, 
325. 


638 


INDEX. 


Philyra  moth,  847. 

Phloiotribus,  88. 

Phryganeadae,  20,  478. 

Phyllium  pulchrifolium,  P.  siccifolium, 

146. 
Phyllophaga,  80.    P.  fraterna,  P.  Geor- 

pieana,  P.  hirticula,  82.     P.  pilosicol- 

fis,  38.    P.  quercina,  30. 
Phylloptera,   161.    P.  oblongifolia,  158, 

159. 
Phytocoris   linearis,    P.  lineolaris,   200, 

2"01. 

Piercer,  8,  612. 
Piercers,  513. 
Pieris,  P.  casta,  270. 
Pigeon  Tremex.687. 
Pimpla  atrata,  P.  lunator,  538,  589. 
Pine  saw-flit's,  520,  521. 
Pine-tree  sphinx,  328.    P.  attacked  by 

moths,  483;  by  wood-wasps,  534;   by 

other  insects,  48,  51,  70-72,  86-88, 

99.  100,  115. 
Piopnila  casei,  621. 
Pisaodes,  72. 
Plant-bug,  200,  201.    P.  lice,  194,  203, 

230,  236.    P.  cabbage,  238.    P.  downy, 

242.    P.  hickory,  238.    P.  leaping,  230. 

P.  peach-tree,  234,  240.     P.  rose,  238. 

P.  willow,   P.  on  roots,  239.     P.  how 

to  destroy,  244, 245.    P.  their  enemies, 

246,  247." 

Platygastor,  471,  587. 
Phityomides,  479. 
Platyphyllum  concavum,  P.  perspicilla- 

tnm,  168. 
Plum-tree  caterpillars,  424, 425.    P.  slug, 

629.     P.  warts,  478,  479.    P.  weevil, 

75,  484. 

Poecilochroma  comitana,  482. 
Pollutes  fuscata,  18. 
Polyommatus  Comyntas,  P.  Lticia,  275. 

P.  Pseudargiolus,  274. 
P'llyjihylla,  33. 
Poiitia  olerncea,  270. 
Poplar-tree  caterpillars,  282,  297,  422, 

481.    P.  other  insects  attacking,  96, 

106. 

Portheaia  auriflua,  P.  chrysorrhea,  366. 
Potato-fly,  186,  139.    P.  rot,  81, 118, 128, 

187,  200,  246,  440,  618.     P.  vines,  in- 

•acto  attacking,  81, 118,  128,  186,  138, 

199,320,440    P.  worm,  320.   P.  sweet, 

insects  on,  122. 
Potter-wasp  470. 
Prionians  (Prionidse),  96. 
PriooM  brevicornis.  96.     P.  cylindri- 

ctw,  96.    P.  laticollis,  95.    P.  unicolor, 

96. 
Procrig  Americana,  P.  ampelophaga,  P. 

viti«,  886. 

Progne  butterfly,  801. 
P-ilurm  monnclia,  366. 
Psyche,  414. 

I'-y.-hians  (Pir%-chadie),414. 
I'.-vlla,  231.     I',  pyri,  233. 


Pterologv,  261. 

Pteromalus,  609,  656,  686.    P.  Vanesste, 

300. 

Pterophoridffi,  610. 
Pterophorus,  610. 
Ptychoptera  clavipes,  600. 
Pudica  moth,  346. 
Pulex,  625. 
Pulicidae,  19. 
Pupa,  6. 
Puparium,  676. 
Purslane  sphinx,  328. 
Pygaera  ministra,  430. 
Pyralides,  340,  474. 

Pyralis  farinalis,  475.    P.  Pomana,  484. 
Pyrgota  undata,  610. 
Pyropa  furcata,  619. 
Pyrophorus,  66. 

Radish-fly,  617.  R.  injured  by  maggots, 
616. 

Rhaphitelus,  686. 

Rhagium  lineatum,  116. 

Rhipiphoridae,  19. 

Rhipiptera,  18. 

Rhopalocera,  262. 

Rhubarb-root  maggots,  605. 

Rhynchsenus,  69.  R.  Argula,  75.  R. 
Cerasi,  78.  R.  nasicus,  74.  R.  Nenu- 
phar, 75,  484.  R.  Strobi,  72. 

Rhynchites  bicolor,  66. 

Rhynchophoridae,  60. 

Rhyparochromus  devastator,  198,  199. 

Rice-weevil,  88. 

Romalea.  172. 

Rose-bud  moths,  480,  483. 

Rose-bug,  35. 

Rose-bush  galls,  649.  R.  leaf-hopper, 
229.  R.  plant-louse,  238.  R.  slug,  525. 
R.  attacked  by  beetles,  33,  35,  36,  66. 

Runners,  143, 144. 

Rustic  moths,  441. 

Rutilians  (Rutiladse),  25. 

Sack-bearer,  414. 

Salt-marsh  caterpillar,  351. 

Sand-flies,  602. 

Saperda,  106.    S.  bivittatn,  107.    S.  cal- 

carata,  106.    S.  Candida,  S.  carcharias, 

107.     S.  tridentata,  111.    S.  tripunc- 

tata,  114.    S.  vestita,  109. 
Sarcophagans,  613. 
Sarcophaga  Georgina,  613. 
Sargus,  608. 
Sassacus  skipper,  315. 
Sassafras-tree  caterpillars,  266,  389. 
Satellitia  hawk-moth,  325. 
Saturnia  Hera,  398.    S.  lo,  396.    S.  Maia, 

S.  Proserpina,  396. 
Saturnians  (Saturniadce),  381. 
Satyrus  Canthus,  306. 
Saw-flies,  14,  616. 
Saw-horned  beetles,  45. 
Scarabaeians  (Scarabaoidae),  10,  23,  88. 
Scarabaeus  Indus,  40.     S.  relictus,  31. 


INDEX. 


639 


Scarlet  in  grain,  248. 

Scatomyians  (Scatomyzadae),  619. 

Scatophaga  furcata,  S  postilena,  619. 

Scientific  names  useful,  20,  21. 

Scolytidae,  86. 

Scolytus  destructor,  86.    S.  Pyri,  90.    S. 

terrebrans,  86. 
Scutel,  23. 
Scymnus,  247. 

Selandria  barda,  S.  pvgmaea,  S.  Rosae, 
525.  S.  vitis,  522,  625.  S.  (Blenno- 
campa)  jEthiops,  528.  S.  B  Cerasi, 
529. 

Semicolon  butterfly,  298, 299. 
Serica,  33. 
Sericaria,  364. 

Sesia  diffinis,  328.     S.  Pelasgus,  #.,  329. 
Sesiae,  319. 

Sheep  bot-fly,  S.  ticks,  624. 
Silk,  native,  380,  392. 
Silk-worm,  259,  380. 
Simaethis,  475. 
Simulium  molestum,  601.     S.  nocivum, 

602. 

Siphonaptera,  19. 
Sirex  columba,  536. 
Sitophilus,  83. 
Skippers,  263,  307. 
Slug-caterpillars,  419,  421.    Slug-worm, 

528. 

Slugs,  517,  524. 
Smerinthi,  319. 
Smerinthus,  327.  S.  excaecata,  327, 328. 

S.  Juglandis,  S.  myops,  328. 
Snout-beetles,  60,  67. 
Snow-gnat,  601. 
Sodom,  apples  of,  547. 
Soldier-flies,  608. 
Soothsayers,  143,  146. 
Spanish-flies,  135. 
Span  worms,  458. 

Spectrum  bivittatum,  146.    S.  femora- 
turn,  16.,  147. 
Sphecomyia  undata,  610.     S.  valida,  ib., 

611. 

Sphex,  610. 
Sphex-flies,  611. 
Sphinges,  262,  319,  328. 
Sphinx  Carolina,  322.     S.  cinerea,  328.  j 
S.  cnotus,   327.     S.   coniferarnm,    S.  ; 
drupiferarum,  S.  Gordius,  S.  Hvlaeus, 
S.    Kalmise,  328.     S.  Myron,  32"7.     S.  ; 
quinquemaculatus,  321,  322. 
Sphyracephala  brevicornis,  621. 
Spider-flies,  624. 
Spilonota  comitana,  482. 
Spilosoma,  356,  358,  359. 
Spindle-worm,  438,  439. 
Spinners,  340. 
Spring-beetles,  51. 

Squash-bug,  194.     S.  vine  2Egeria,  331. 
Stag-beetles,  43. 
Star- wort  gall-fly,  620. 
Stenocorus,     S.    cinctus,    97.      S.    cy- 
aneus,   115.     S.  garganicus,  97.     S. 


lineatus,  116.     S.  putator,  S.  villosus, 

98. 

Sting,  9,  512. 
Stingers,  512. 
Stinging  caterpillars,  393. 
Stomoxys  calcitrans,  614. 
Storthygocerus,  586. 
Stratyomyadae,  608. 
Stratyomys,  608. 
Strepsiptera,  18,  19. 
Stylops,  19. 
Stylopidae,  19. 
Syrphians  (Syrphidae),  608. 
Syrphus,  248. 

Tabanus,  603.  T.  atratus,  T.  cinctus, 
T.  lineola,  602. 

Tachinadae,  612. 

Tachina,  471.     T.  vivida,  612. 

Tapestry-moth,  493. 

Tarsi,  9. 

Tenebrio  molitor,  10, 11. 

Tent-making  caterpillars,  370. 

Tenthredinidae,  515. 

Tenthredo  Cerasi,  528. 

Tephritis  Asteris,  620. 

Tetrix,  172,  185.  T.  bilineata,  T.  dorsa- 
lis,  186.  T.  lateralis,  187.  T.  ornata, 
186.  T.  parvipennis,  187.  T.  quadri- 
maculata,  186.  T.  sordida,  187. 

Tettigonia,  226.  T.  Fabae,  229,  230.  T. 
Rosae,  229.  T.  Vitis,  227. 

Tettigonians  (Tettigoniadae),  225. 

Tettix,  226. 

Thanaos  Juvenalis,  309.    T.  Brizo,  310. 

Thecla  Auburniana,  277.  T.  Augusta, 
279.  T.  Damon,  277.  T.  Favonius, 
T.  Falacer,  T.  Humuli,  T.  Liparops, 
T.  Melinus,  276.  T.  Mopsus,  T.  Ni- 
phon,  278.  T.  Simaethis,  T.  Smila- 
cis,  277.  T.  strigosa,  276. 

Thistle  butterfly,  291. 

Thola,  249. 

Thorn  hedges  injured  by  caterpillars,  369. 

Thrips,  20,  234.     T.  cerealium,  235. 

Thvsanoptera,  20. 

Tibia,  9. 

Tiger-moths,  343,  345. 

Timber-beetles,  58. 

Tineae,  340,  483. 

Tineans  (Tineadae),  488,  493. 

Tinea  crinella,  493.  T.  destructor,  T. 
flavifrontella,  494.  T.  granella,  493, 
496.  T.  Hordei,  499.  T.  mellonella, 
489.  T.  pellionella,  493.  T.  Pomo- 
nella,  484.  T.  tapetzella,  T.  vestia- 
nella,  493. 

Tityrus  skipper,  310,  311. 

Tomicus  exesns,  87,  T.  liminaris,  T. 
Pini,  88.  T.  Pyri,  91. 

Tortoise-beetles,  121. 

Tortrices,  340,  478. 

Tortrix  cereaua,  489. 

Torymus,  557,  559. 

Trachypteris,  60. 


640 


INDEX. 


Tragocephala,  181. 
Trama,  240. 

Transformations,  4.    T.  imperfect,  142. 
Tree-beetles,  26,  26.    T.  hoppers,  220. 
Tremex  Columba,  637. 
Trichius  sciiber,  40. 
Trichoptera,  20. 

Trochilium,  881.    T.  denudatum,  830. 
Troilus  butterfly,  266. 
Truxalis,  172. 

Turnip  fly,  126.    T.  other  insects  attack- 
ing, 180,  270. 
Turnus  butterfly,  268. 
Turpentine-moths,  484. 
Tussock-moths,  362,  364. 

Uhler,  Mr.  P.  R.,  notes  by,  146. 149, 160, 
152,  166,  168,  161,  173,  174,  176,  177, 
178,  179,  180,  181,  187,  200,  219,  220, 
221,  239,  240,  247. 

Unicorn  moth,  424. 

Uroceridse,  683. 

Urocerus  abdominalis,  640.  U.  albicor- 
nis,  638.  U.  gigas,  636.  U.  Juvencus, 
634,  640.  U.  nitidus,  640. 

Vanessa,  296.  V.  Antiopa,  296,  297. 
V.  C.  argenteum,  V.  C.  album,  301. 
V.  Comma,  300.  V.  furcillata,  302. 
V.  Interrogations,  298,  299.  V.  .T.  al- 
bum, 298.  V.  Milberti,  302.  V.  Prog- 
ne,  301. 

Vanessians  (Vanessiadae),  284. 

Vaporer-moths,  867. 

Vine  saw-fly,  622. 

Virgin's  bower,  insects  on,  137. 

Yirguncula  moth,  346. 

Visor,  24. 

Walkers,  144, 146. 


Walking  leaves,  146. 

Walnut-tree  beetles,  92.  W.  caterpil- 
lars, 362,  382,  401.  W.  sphinx,  328. 

Wamsutta  skipper,  318. 

Wasps,  612,  513,  514. 

Wax-moth,  489. 

Wax-work  plant  attacked  by  insects, 
224. 

Web-worms,  357. 

Weevils,  21,  69,  60.  W.  black,  83.  W. 
brown,  453. 

Wheat  injured  by  insects,  88,  197,  235, 
453,  496,  499,  651,  666,  657,  570,  684. 
W.  caterpillar,  452,  454.  W.  flies,  583, 
688,  691.  W.  moths,  496,  602,  604. 
W.  weevil,  83. 

Whortleberry  sphinx,  328. 

Willow  caterpillars,  282,  422.  W.  gall- 
gnat,  666.  W.  plant-louse,  239. 

Willow-herb  sphinx,  328. 

Windsor  bean  attacked  by  insects,  138, 
229. 

Wire-worms,  52,  441,  448. 

Wood-wasps,  533. 

Woolly  bears,  343. 

Wurmals  or  worm-holes,  624. 

Xenos  Peckii,  18. 

Xiphicera,'172. 

Xiphydria,  635,  641.     X.  albicornis,  X. 

mellipes,  541. 
Xyleutes  Cossus,  X.  Robiniae,  412. 

Yellow  butterfly,  272. 
Yponomeutadse,  488,  499. 
Ypsolophus  granellus,  499. 

Zebra  caterpillar,  461. 

Zeuzera,  409. 

Zeuzerians  (Zeuzeradae),  408. 


THE    END. 


Cambridge:  Printed  bj  Welch,  Bigelow,  &  Co. 


r 


i 


A-OKAIIFO/?^ 

§  fft^Yl 

3»         ^ 

S   g 


vKlOSANCEl^n> 


